


Building Bridges

by Chikabiddy



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-22 14:57:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13766574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chikabiddy/pseuds/Chikabiddy
Summary: Veronica lands herself in a little bit of trouble on a case and a quasi-pocket dial gives Logan the chance to help.Story begins after S1E02, and does not follow canon.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N - This is my first fic, and I am not entirely sure the endpoint... so I do not know how long it will be. But I'm having fun with the story! I have no beta, so all mistakes are mine alone! I'm still figuring out the formatting, so please be patient with any weird formatting issues. I'm experimenting! 
> 
> I'm posting all I have complete, and will be updating weekly as life allows. :)
> 
> disclaimer: all characters belong to Rob Thomas, I'm just tinkering.

Logan perched at the edge of his bed, controller in hand, when his phone chimed.

 **Dick:** Dude, u comin 2 the prty

 **Logan:** Not rlly feeln the prty sprt

 **Dick:** Booze n babes. Wth else is thr 2 feel

 **Logan:** Come on, man. U no how it is when daddy dearest is home

 **Dick:** Thght he was in NY

 **Logan** : Got back early 4 some “bonding”

 **Dick:** All the more reason 2 get out of the house

 **Logan:** Good point

 **Dick:** So?

 **Logan:** I’ll try 2 make an appearance

As much as Logan would rather not deal with all his 09er “friends”, Dick did have a point. Getting out of the house, and forget it all wasted, might be just what the night needed. He sighed and shut down his game; he was losing anyway. While grabbing a sweater to throw over his shirt Logan pondered the best way to get father approval on his night out. He doubted “sleepover with Dicky” would grant him any favors. He reached up to pull at the hairs on the back of his head. Maybe his dad would be in a good mood, otherwise he would just have to sneak out and deal with the fallout later. He was getting good at that: dealing with the fallout.

He grabbed his phone and headed to his door when a ringtone he never thought he would hear sounded from his phone. He stared at the caller id for a full 5 seconds before he believed what he knew he saw: heartless bitch. Veronica Mars.

His instinct was to ignore the call. _No need to reopen doors better left welded shut._ But curiosity, as they say, caused weak willed men to respond to fiery blonds. He flipped his phone open, pausing a moment. Not sure what to expect, then went with the trusty usual:

“You’d think if hell froze over it would be on the news.”

She didn’t say anything back, but if he wasn’t mistaken there were the telltale sounds of a scuffle happening. He raised an eyebrow; not something he would have imagined Veronica doing. But, well new Veronica, spikes and leather and combat boots Veronica, he really had no idea. He thought he heard a voice, and he was certain there was some kind of struggle happening. His heart quickened. He wanted to say something, anything. He was frozen. _What the fuck. This has to be a joke._ Logan was just about to hang up, or cuss Veronica out. He hadn’t decided, when he heard it: definitely a voice, and most definitely not Veronica’s.

**********

Taught muscles reminded Veronica just how long she had crouched, not daring to move. It felt like hours since she last heard boots on pavement, but with adrenaline coursing through her, slowing her mental awareness and ruining her generally keen judgment, who could tell. Thump, thump, thump – the painful sound of blood pounding blocked out her sense of hearing. Between that and the adrenaline, she was running pretty blind. Deep breaths. She willed her pulse slower. Thump… thump….. thump. She could almost make out the rushing of traffic. Could she chance movement? Were they lying in wait, ready for her to slip up, show herself?

What she needed was an extra set of eyes. An extra set of hands. Can’t call Wallace, his mom would kill me if anything happened to him. Can’t call dad, he’d kill me for getting here. Weevil has helped me out a time or two, yeah. _He’s the one to call._ But as she thumbed through her contacts she stopped at “L”. _Get a grip, Mars._ _Now way Logan even answers the phone._ Veronica moved to continue down the when she heard footsteps. Her breath caught and her all her muscles tensed. She could feel them burning. If she got caught now she wouldn’t be able to make any kind of quick escape. Veronica never really believed in God, but if there was any kind of higher power in the Universe she sure hoped it was listening. The pace of the footsteps quickened; getting louder, nearer. Thump, thump, thump – her blood rushed back to her ears. She squeezed her eyes firmly closed, hoping to focus on the steps. Hoping to predict who it was or whether they had spotted her. Her legs on fie. She wished she could move, just sit back a little. But any sound, any tiny sound… the footsteps stopped. Far too close for comfort. _Move away. Please, just move away._ Firm fingers clenched around her upper arm, forceful and painful.

Veronica was yanked from her hiding spot. Her fingers clenched around her phone as a scream forced its way up her throat. Calloused hands covered her mouth. She bit down, but the hand griped the pressure points in her jaw. Unwelcome tears stung her eyes.

“Quiet,” he hissed in her ear. “Or this'll get unpleasant.”

Fear cut off her normal snarky remark. But she was still Veronica Mars. No way was she taking the easy way out. She slammed her elbow where she hoped his solar plexus would be and found the body unforgiving. A soft grunt and the hand tightened on her face, cutting off her muffled screams. She saved her breath; she’d need the energy for something else. _Think, Veronica. Think!_ She went limp. Let him drag her a while, it would give her time to prepare an escape.

“That’s it?” he chuckled. “That’s all the fight the great Veronica Mars has? What pussies.”

 G _o ahead, get confident._ The guy grunted as he lifted her higher, to wrap his arm around her waist. His other hand slipped a little on her mouth, giving her the chance she'd been waiting for. She bit down around his finger, hard. Blood pooled into her mouth, but she clung on. He yelled; his arm dropped away from her waist and his hand from mouth. She dropped to the ground, rolled away from him, and scrambled to her feet. _Move, move, move._ Veronica stumbled forward, only to be pulled back by the same iron hand. _Might be my only chance._ She screamed, as loud and as hard as she could.

“Stupid bitch!” He brought his fist down, clocking her in the jaw. The world went dark, and left Veronica lifeless.

********

 _Shit, fuck, fuck… What do I even do here. What the fuck. What the FUCK._ Logan’s hand tightened around his phone, listening harder, barely breathing. His brain short circuited. _This is some kind of sick joke. What the fuck Veronica._ He stayed silent, still listening, praying he was right. Praying it was a twisted joke from an ex- ~~best~~ friend. He heard the voice again:

“That’s it?” a dark chuckle made his spine tingle. “That’s all the fight the great Veronica Mars has? What pussies.”

 _Please, god be a joke._ He heard a grunt, then sounds of feet dragging on the ground. _Anytime now, Mars. Fuck, be a joke._ He heard a grunt and shifting gravel. Veronica let out a scream which stood his hairs on end.

“Stupid bitch!” A thud, and silence.

 _Not again, not again. Veronica. God, no. Not again._ The silence chilled him more than anything else.

“Veronica?” _God, please._ “Veronica? Veronica!”

 _What do I do? God, fuck. What do I do?_ Logan was a man of action, but this was far beyond school yard scuffles. This was out of his depth. But, Mars… Sheriff Mars. He needed to tell the Sheriff. He sprinted from his room and flew threw the kitchen. He stopped short when he saw his dad at the counter.

“Logan. It’s late. What are you doing up?”

“Uh, dad. I, uh. I just got a call from Veronica and she told me she’s in trouble. She, uh, she got stranded. Car ran out of gas. I was just going to pick her up, get her home. Y’know?”

“Oh. Well I’m glad to see your looking out for your friends. Just, call when you pick her up and don’t stay out too late.”

“Yeah, thanks dad. I’ll do that. Uhm, I’ll see you in the morning.”

Logan practically sprinted to his truck, barely waiting for the engine to start before throwing it into reverse. He wanted to call Veronica, but what if that made it worse? _Can it get any worse?_ He'd never driven so fast in his life, but he made it. Sheriff Mars would be home. He had to be home. He tried not to pound the door down as he knocked.

“Sheriff Mars? Are you home? Please, it’s about Veronica,” he didn’t stop knocking, even when no one responded. “Sheriff?” A door to the right opened.

“Excuse me, could you keep it down? You’ll wake the whole building.” A small woman was peeking from the apartment. Logan turned to her.

“Please, I’m looking for Sheriff Mars, I think Veronica is in trouble. Do you know where he is?”

“Well, if he isn’t home he is probably still at work. His PI business in town?”

“Do you know where that is?”

“Downtown.” She gestured towards the city center. “Right across the street from that Chinese place.”

“I know it, thanks.”

Logan rushed back to the X-terra, cursing the lost time. How much time did Veronica have? Logan drove down the street, slower than he would like, but he couldn’t risk missing the office. He just hopped he hadn’t missed the Sheriff.

Mars Investigations. There it is. He pulled over and jumped from the truck. The light was on in what he hoped was the office, so he took the stairs three at a time. At the top of the stairs was a glass pane Mars Investigations printed in big white lettering. The office door was locked, so he knocked.

“Sheriff Mars? Are you in there? Please, I think Veronica is in trouble.” Logan called through the door. He heard heavy footsteps move through the office. Locks clicked open, and the door cracked an inch.

“Logan? What about Veronica?”

“She called me, I think she’s in trouble.” The Sheriff ushered him into the office and set him down on an old, dusty couch. He crossed his arms and gave Logan his best Sheriff stare. Logan pulled his sleeves down over his hands and fidgeted with his fingers. “I was, uh, not important. I got a call from Veronica, but… it wasn’t normal. She never said anything. And I, um. It sounded like maybe a fight. I think…” he pulled at his hair, then rubbed his hands across his face. “God, I think I heard her scream.” Logan’s legs were moving a mile a minute. He needed to get up, and he needed to now. He jumped to his feet. “Sheriff, I know something happened. Please, you have to believe me. I know she is in trouble, and, I. Shit, uhm…” He fumbled in his pockets and pulled out his phone. “I can show you she called me. Please.”

He met the Sheriff’s eyes for the first time since he started talking and reached out to hand Sheriff Mars his phone. The Sheriff had lowered his arms, his face gone pale. Logan didn’t know what else to say, he just held his breath, praying the Sheriff believed him.

“Logan, are you sure it was Veronica. Are you sure you heard Veronica?” His voice was off-key, strangled.

“I, shit, I don’t know. I never heard her speak. But, god, uhm, it was her number. For sure.” Logan dropped his hands down to his sides, phone still clutched in his fingers.

“She was helping me on a case. Nothing special, some surveillance. Have you tried to call her back?”

“I… no. I wanted to, but… what if that made it worse? I just, I didn’t…”

“No, I understand,” Sheriff Mars pulled his phone out and dialed Veronica. Logan heard it ring twice, then 'You’ve reached Veronica…' “Her phone is off.” The Sheriff pocketed his phone and turned to Logan. “Thank you for coming to me. I’ve got it from here. You head home.” He moved to what Logan assumed was his office and grabbed keys from a drawer.

“Sheriff, I just…” Sheriff Mars moved past Logan toward the door. “Please, I have to know. I can’t… not again.” The Sheriff turned to look at him, face hard but eyes soft.

“Logan. Veronica is not Lilly.” Logan’s knees buckled as he crumpled and lowered himself to the couch, face in his hands.

“Can I… Can I please just wait here? Until you know, until she is back?” The Sheriffs eyes softened, and he laid a hand on Logan’s shoulder.

“You should go home. But, I will call you. As soon as I know.”


	2. Chapter 2

Veronica lifted her heavy eyelids. Something sharp dug into her face and arms, but she couldn’t think. Her mind was sluggish, foggy. _What… what’s happening?_ She moved her arms to push to a sitting position, but the movement brought on a piercing headache. She closed her eyes against the nausea tearing through her. But the pain in her head brought with it her memories:

 

> She picked up the mark for a new case her dad got that morning as he was leaving his office. Then she drove to the Camelot to do some beginning surveillance. It was easy, a routine case. After 2 hours the mark, was the only one in or out of the hotel room, left. She followed him to his house, watched him go inside, and waited until all the lights were off. Was his trip to the motel unusual? Sure. Proof of infidelity? Not even close. _Perfect, I’ve got some time to look into that case for Weevil._ Veronica made her way quickly to her usual surveillance stop nearby the biker bar downtown. Weeks of surveillance and poking into this case were paying off: two of the marks Weevil had her trailing were in what appeared to be an argument with third man. One of the marks was gesturing wildly then pointed at the third man, and the man’s face lined with panic.
> 
> She retrieved her camera from the passenger seat and began snapping pictures, her stomach tightening into knots as the scene progressed. The third man took a couple steps back from the marks, raising his hands, palms out, as he moved. The aggressive mark stepped towards the third man, jamming his finger towards the man’s face. The other mark stood back, arms crossed, and then glanced in Veronica’s direction. Veronica slid farther down in her seat, hoping her car looked like any other abandoned car on the street. After a moment she peaked up. The aggressive mark had a hand around the third man’s upper arm, but he was looking in her direction. The other mark was walking towards her with narrowed eyes.
> 
> _Shit, shit, shit._ Veronica’s hands went clammy, she fumbled dropping her camera in her lap and reaching for her keys. Glancing up, all her muscles froze. The mark picked up his pace and was speed walking towards her. The keys slipped from her trembling fingers. _Amateur move, Mars._ She scrambled to find the keys and jammed the key in the ignition as the mark reached her car. She turned the key, but the engine didn’t turn over. _Not good, not good, not good._ She mentally tallied her options. _Stay in the car and call the police hoping they get here before he gets in, not likely; incapacitate this guy and escape before backup comes, definitely my best shot._
> 
> She fumbled in her bag for her taser and gripped it tightly. At the sound of her door handle forcefully pulled she turned back to the window. The mark gave up on the handle and raised his elbow. Veronica ducked her face into her arm and readied the taser. She felt shards of glass cut into her as the window shattered open and immediately jammed the taser towards the broken window. A muffled grunt accompanied the feel of the taser connecting with a body. She held the taser to the mark until she was sure he would drop. Then she grabbed her camera and phone and scrambled across the passenger seat, out the far door.
> 
> She hoped the extra distance would give her long enough to get away, but she didn’t dare look back to see. While listening for following footsteps she sprinted down the nearest alley. She heard men yelling and knew at least one person was chasing her. Running wouldn’t work; they were bigger, most likely faster, and she would be easier to spot on the move. Casing her surroundings, she spied a dark nook. That’s my best bet. She slid into the small nook and crouched as low as she could, waiting.

_That’s right, I was working. Weevil’s case._ Veronica’s forced her eyes open as she remembered they had found her. She struggled to push herself up, biting back the rising bile. Looking around she realized, for whatever reason, the marks left her be. A piercing throbbing in her temple caused her to lift a hand to her head. She pulled it back, sticky. So, bruised on one side, broken on the other. I have to get up, find help. Veronica was drained, but knew she had to move. The blood from her head was fresh and still oozing. She looked around again, trying to clear the fog from her brain. Next to her was her phone, shattered and useless. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she fought to her feet as black spots danced at the edge of her vision, threatening to overtake her. She used to alley wall to support herself and closed her eyes until the dizziness passed. _One foot in front of the other, come on Veronica._

“Veronica?” a familiar voice called out to her, and she almost collapsed in relief. She turned her head slowly toward the sound of the voice.

“Dad?” He father reached her just as her knees gave out. His arms wrapped around her, catching her and pulling her close. “Dad.”

*********

Logan paced his room, unable to keep himself still while he waited to hear from the Sheriff. He alternated between walking circles around his room, pulling at his hair and sleeves, and sitting uncomfortably at the edge of his bed bouncing his feet off the floor. Evening turned to night, and night turned to dawn. He’d finally passed out as the first hint of sunrise touched the sky. Nightmares plagued the little sleep he did get. Images of Lilly, bloody and motionless played on repeat until Lilly was replaced by Veronica and he woke in a cold sweat. Checking his phone again, in case he had just missed the call, Logan realized he would have to get ready for school. He couldn’t stay home today, not with his dad around.

He double checked the volume on his phone: max volume. Giving a sigh, he moved to his bathroom and had a quick shower. _Maybe I can stop by her apartment before school._ The thought took the edge off the knot which had been sitting on his stomach since he took Veronica’s call. Quick shower taken, random clothes on, and with his school bag over his shoulder he headed off to Veronica’s apartment. He’d avoided a morning run in with his father; daddy dearest was probably sleeping off a hangover. Logan resisted driving the same speed he had the day before, sure he couldn’t get away with it again. The last thing he needed was to explain a speeding ticket to his dad.

Stuffing down his anxiety over seeing Veronica, especially given their recent history, Logan got out of his car and headed to Veronica’s apartment. Tentatively, he knocked on the door, took a step back, and waited. Logan wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed when Sheriff Mars opened the door. He didn’t look surprised.

“Logan, I’m glad you stopped by. I wanted to call you last night, but unfortunately didn’t have your number. I could’ve gotten your home number, but it was late, and I didn’t want you to get in trouble.” 

“Uh,” Logan wasn’t sure how to respond. All he really wanted was to ask about Veronica.

“Ah, sorry. I’m sure you just want to know how Veronica is.”

“Yeah, uhm-” Logan began.

“I have to thank you, Logan. Veronica, she’s fine. But if you hadn’t come to find me… well I don’t know." The Sheriff shook his head. "So, thank you.”

“Can I see her?”

“She’s resting right now. We just got back from the hospital a little while ago. It was… a difficult night.” He gave Logan a small smile, his tone apologetic but firm.

“Ah… I see. Well thank you, I’m glad she is okay.” Logan moved to go, then paused. “Do you think…do you think I could come after school? I’d… I know she’s fine. But, but if I could see her, I’d just feel better.” Logan held his breath, it felt like an eternity before the Sheriff opened his mouth:

“I… think that would be fine. After school. I’ll let her know you are coming.”

********

The smell of coffee and bacon roused Veronica. The last 24 hours flashed through her mind and she let out a groan. _Maybe if I stay in bed long enough Dad will forget… ha._ She briefly considered rolling back over and seriously attempting to fall back asleep, but she had no idea how much of the day she had already slept away. _This conversation with Dad has got to happen sometime. God, I’m going to be grounded until I die._ With a last longing sigh, Veronica rolled out of bed, tossing the comforter aside as she swung her legs to the ground. The throbbing in her temple hadn’t improved from the previous night, but a quick scan of her room revealed a bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water sitting on her desk. She took a couple, ran her fingers through her hair, and decided it was time for her to face her father. As expected, her father was standing at the stove frying bacon.

“Ah, bacon. The world’s best medicine,” Veronica quipped. She fidgeted with her hands, playing with the edge of the island counter and keeping her eyes down. Meeting her father’s eyes at that moment was impossible; she didn’t want to see disappointment reflected there. _Of course he is disappointed, not a single part about last night was in line with what he taught me about PI work._ _Or what I agreed to when he finally let me work with him._ When no response came, she chanced a look in his direction. His piercing eyes bore into her and she felt heat rising to color her cheeks.

After a moment his eyes softened, “a cure all,” he said. “Doctor prescribed. See? I’ve got the note right here.” He turned back to the stove, flipping Returned banter was a good sign; the knot in Veronica’s stomach loosened a touch. She released the breath she was holding.

“So, I know we need to talk about la-" her father held up a hand.

“Veronica, there isn’t anything to talk about. I should never have let you work with me in the first place. It was incredibly irresponsible of me.” Keith turned from the stove to face her, his face almost imploring, begging her to understand him. Veronica opened her mouth to respond, protest, remind him it was her choice, but he cut her off. “No Veronica, listen to me. I always tried to make sure you only worked on the simple cases, the safe ones. But I was lying to myself.” He crossed his arms, almost defensively. “Any case has the potential to be dangerous, to go nasty. Just look at what happened here.” He turned back to the stove and picked up the pan, angling it so the bacon slid from the pan to a plate sitting on the counter.

As he did so he continued: “I’ve no idea how the case got where it did, or who did this to you, but the fact remains if you weren’t working cases for me you never would have been there. This never would have happened.” He set the pan back on the stove and faced her again. “I’m so sorry, Veronica. I’m sorry I was selfish; I’m sorry I blinded myself. I’m sorry I put all this on you.” Veronica froze, processing what his words meant, not totally comprehending what he was saying.

She couldn’t figure out what to say and her father continued: “So, that’s it. I can’t have you working for me anymore, and there really isn’t anything more to say about it.” He moved the plate of bacon to the island as he spoke. “Let’s enjoy our breakfast… lunch I guess, and then we can work on getting you healed up.”

Veronica slumped into one of the island chairs, still processing everything her father had said. _He thinks it was his case. He thinks this is his fault._ Her nausea returned. _I can’t believe I did this to him. I can’t believe he has been blaming himself this whole time._  

“Oh, Logan stopped by while you were resting.”

“Logan? Why?” Veronica felt the familiar stab of regret and betrayal which plagued her every time she thought of Logan Echolls.

“Ah, I guess between finding you in an alley and getting home from the hospital I forgot to mention, Logan is the only reason I knew to come looking.” Stunned, Veronica’s head shot up and she met her father’s eyes.

“What?”

“I guess you called him by accident, so he heard some of what was happening and came to find me. I’m just glad I was able to find you.”

“Wait, he… I… what?”

“He just wants to check that you are actually okay. So, when he gets here be nice. Maybe you could even bring yourself to gratitude?” Veronica stared at her father, mouth gaping. “Look, Veronica. I’m a PI. I know things between you and Logan have been… rocky, to say the least. And I know he hasn’t exactly been making your life easy the past year. But, without him…” the pregnant pause reinforced the ‘what if’ her father left hanging. “Just, keep that in mind.”

They continued their brunch in silence, Veronica mulling over all her dad had said.


	3. Chapter 3

_Maybe I can skip my last class, get to Veronica’s early._  Logan’s foot tapped rapidly against the linoleum floor. More than anything he hadn’t wanted to come to school at all; he wanted to stay in his car outside Veronica’s apartment and wait until she woke up. Being at school was pointless; he couldn’t focus on anything. Unfortunately, his lack of attention didn’t make the day go any faster. The clock seemed to have a personal vendetta with him and refused to move more than a couple minutes between each time he checked. His eyes darted back to the clock: still forty minutes left until the last class of the day.

“Dude, what’s up with you? That’s the fifth time you’ve checked the clock.” Duncan side-eyed Logan, and Logan responded by raising his eyebrow.

“I’m surprised you noticed,” he said. “You’ve been particularly unobservant lately.”

“Just because I don’t make a big deal out of it, doesn’t mean I don’t notice it.” Duncan’s eyes dropped to the floor, then flit back up to meet Logan’s. “I always know when something’s up with you, man.”

“It’s not a big deal, DK. Just not really interested in whatever lame school spirit crap Ms. Dent is on about this week.”

“Sure, man.” Duncan clapped him on the back before turning back to his computer.

Logan stole another glance at the clock. Not even a minute had passed. He sighed and tried to focus on his computer. Whether he cared about the assignment or not, he needed a distraction. He still hadn’t decided whether to ditch out, but he wasn’t sure Sheriff Mars would even let him in the door if Logan got there before school was supposed to be over. Sighing, he resigned to finishing out the school day, figuring doing so would buy him a little more favor from the Sheriff. He tried to shake the memory of Veronica’s phone call from his head and read his assignment for the third time. Something about the girl’s cross-country team scoring well in the first three meets of the year; he really wasn’t interested, but he was able to distract his brain enough to relax. He finished the article with the bell and turned it in before he decided there was no way he would be able to suffer through another hour. Hoping the Sheriff would be understanding – _or maybe he'll be at the office, he does still have cases to work_ – Logan ditched out and headed to Veronica’s.

********

“Veronica?” her dad called from his room. Veronica was laying on the couch, one hand over the side scratching Backup’s head.

“Yeah, dad?”

“I’m going to head over to the office for a couple hours, try to close out some cases and such. Pick up your car from the station.” Veronica twitched nervously. “Will you be okay on your own?” Veronica shifted up to a sitting position, wincing slightly. She was mostly fine, but any time she moved her head reminded her she wasn’t back to one hundred percent.

“Yeah, of course. You go keep the Mars office running. I’m fine, really.” Her dad had walked out to the living room as she was speaking, and now looked down at her. His eyes were soft, and she could see his concern. “Really, dad. I promise.” He nodded.

“Alright. Remember, Logan is coming by. I should be back before he gets here, but don’t feel like you have to talk to him if you aren’t up for it. He can wait, until you are comfortable.” Keith gave her a soft smile and turned to go.

“Hey, before you go,” Veronica called, “where did you put my camera? I know my phone’s a goner, but I was hoping to download those pictures I took yesterday and email them to you. Help you close out that case.”

“Veronica, you need to rest. I don’t want you working cases. Not now, and not later.”

“Well either way, I need to know where my camera is. You can take the SD card, if you’re worried.”

Her dad gave her a hard look, then sighed: “I’ll bring it in from your car, but I don’t want you working on that case. You understand?”

“Wait, my camera wasn’t in the alley?” Veronica’s voice shook as she flashed back to the events of the previous day. “I didn’t leave it in the car. I had it with me.” Her dad frowned, his brow furrowed.

“I wasn’t looking for it, but it definitely wasn’t close. I would’ve seen it.”

“No,” Veronica groaned, dropping her head to her hands. _There goes any evidence I had of who assaulted me. Dad is going to kill me._

“Don’t worry, Veronica. I can stake out our mark again. And I’ll go check the alley again. Maybe I missed it.” Veronica gave her dad a soft smile.

“Thanks, dad. Now get out of here. Those desperate housewives won’t wait forever.” Veronica winked and waved him out the door.

“I love you, Veronica.”

“I love you, too. Dad.”

Veronica lay back gently, raising her hands to her head. The Tylenol she had taken earlier took the edge off her headache, just enough to ease the nausea, but not enough for her to forget about the pain. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to focus on what she remembered of the night before. If her camera was gone, she’d have to identify the man from last night by memory. _Not my favorite, but it’ll do._ She eased up from the couch and stepped over Backup on her way to her room. Given the extent to which the marks from the previous night had gone to stop her from having evidence of the meeting, Veronica figured the encounter must have been important. _Luckily not important enough to kill a witness. Just confiscate the proof._ She pulled up a new file on her computer, determining the case was going to get a bit more complicated, and therefore require better tracking. She began by detailing all she remembered from the night before: the location, time, and events before her dad had found her.

Deputy Sacks had come to the hospital to get a statement; her dad called the police as soon as he found her but didn’t wait for an ambulance and took her straight to the hospital. She had kept her statement purposefully vague, claiming not to remember much of what happened. She had made sure to emphasize she was sure it had nothing to do with the mark she had been trailing for her father’s case. _Obviously he didn't believe me on that._ Veronica hated to lie to her father, though she wasn’t too concerned about her false statement as she could always claim to remember more should the need arise, but she knew her dad would keep her under constant guard if he knew the truth of the evening.

Once she finished detailing the attack, she moved on to provide descriptions of the third man she saw that night. Weevil gave her pictures of the two marks, so there was no need to write up descriptions of them, though she did attach their pictures to her file. But the third man was new, and she probably didn’t have any pictures of him anymore. Veronica was sure her camera was missing because they took it, and she was sure she wasn’t getting it back. _That’s going to be impossible to replace. I’ll have to dip into my college fund._ With a sigh she began describing the third man the best she could remember. She closed her eyes, thinking back: tall, slightly taller than average. Maybe 6 feet, or a little more? Brown, curly hair. Pale, sunken face with shifty eyes. Boney fingers…

Her musings were interrupted by a knock on her door. A glance at the clock told her school wasn’t out yet, which ruled out Wallace. She clenched her jaw, frustrated but resigned, and made her way slowly to the door. Opening it only a crack, she looked at Logan standing on her door step. She took a moment to look him over: one hand kept flitting to the back of his neck, then to the ends of his sleeves, and his eyes were cast down to the ground. But his feet were firmly planted, stable and ridged. Veronica looked back to his face and met his eyes.

“Logan.” She pulled the door open wide enough to lean on the door frame. His eyes darted to the bruise on her jaw and she saw his face harden.

“Um… hey.” He met her eyes again. She waited for him to continue, but he just stared.

“My dad said you were coming by after school…” Veronica let the words hang in the air, partly accusation, partly question.

Logan’s lips twitched downward and he dropped his gaze. Shifting his weight back slightly, he reached out and fidgeted with the ends of his sleeves. Veronica groaned inwardly and tried to remember what her dad had told her: Logan helped her, without reason. She did want to know why. Pushing the door open she tried to ease the tensions, if only slightly. “You wanna come in?”

********

Veronica pushed open the door and invited him in. The tightness in his chest, which had formed as soon as he pulled up to the apartments, lessened ever so slightly.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Logan took in the cramped surroundings of her apartment as she walked over and lowered herself onto the couch. Her face pinched, and her brow furrowed as she sat, and the tightness in Logan’s chest came back with a vengeance. He needed to look anywhere but her face, anywhere but at that ugly, purpling bruise. Every time he looked at her he remembered her scream, and every time a new wave of fear and rage crashed through him. Turning his back to her, he studied the kitchen and hall. He assumed the bedrooms were down the hallway but given the nature of the rest of the apartment he could guess there wasn’t much to see that way. His lips pulled down again and he was surprised when he felt of pang of sadness at seeing her new home. It was so much less than what she had before.

“So, do you want to talk or just creepily check out my apartment?” Veronica cut into his thoughts. He turned back around but kept his eyes low. Away from her face.

“Uh, yeah.” He walked over and sat in the chair next to the couch, eyes on Backup sitting at Veronica’s feet. Reaching down, he let the dog smell his hand and began scratching his head, any excuse not to look up. After a few seconds he heard Veronica shifting on the couch.

“So…” she said, obviously waiting for Logan to say something. He finally looked up but focused on her eyes, refusing to let his gaze wander.

“Sorry, I just… I just wanted to see for myself that you are okay.” Her eyes were hard, and her arms were crossed over her chest as she sat back on the couch away from him.

“I’m fine,” she said shortly. Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She let her arms fall to her sides and rested her hands on her lap. “I’m sorry I called you…”

Logan choked and balled his hands into fists. What? She’s sorry she called me? Sorry she got help? He wanted to ask, demand she tell him why she would be sorry that he could help her, but Veronica put her hand up and shook her head. His protest died in his throat. _She would rather have been out there alone than have called me…_

She continued: “What I mean is, I’m sorry I made you worry. It wasn’t really that big a deal-" Logan sprung up from the chair, muscles tense and lips pulled into a sneer.

“Not that big a deal?” He could tell he was shouting now, and Veronica had shrunk back away from him. Backup let out a low growl. He flexed his fingers and balled them back into fists but lowered his voice. “I heard him, Veronica,” he snapped. “I heard you scream.” He started pacing, and Veronica stayed silent. “And I talked to your dad. I saw your dad, before this morning. I, god Veronica, I saw his face. Don’t try telling me ‘it wasn’t that big a deal’” His last words came out a growl, one that almost matched Backup’s. He stared at Veronica hard, every muscle in his body tensed for a fight.

“And what do you care, anyway?” The question was soft, but forceful.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Veronica met his eyes, hers as sharp as ice, arms a barrier crossed between them. “I said what do you care? It’s not like you’ve done anything but try to hurt me this past year. Are you mad someone else got a turn?” Logan took an involuntary step back, mind reeling with the implications of what she was saying.

“But I never… that was never…”

“Oh, save it, Logan.” She waved her hand as if to wave him away. “I appreciate you getting my dad, but I would’ve been fine if you hadn’t. And if you cared about me at all, even a little, this past year would never have happened.”

He was stunned. Sure, he’d been a jackass, he would comp to that. But I never would have wanted this. _I never would have wanted her hurting._ His mind flashed to some of the more unseemly pranks he’d pulled, or let happen. _Sure you didn’t_ , he scoffed at himself, _you wanted her to hurt as much as you do_.But he knew he didn’t want her to hurt, not now, not like this, not in any way. _Not ever again._ For what felt like the hundredth time in the last 24 hours, Logan crumpled. He dropped into the chair as his knees gave out and all the strain his muscles were under left. He felt weak and empty.

“I’m sorry, Veronica,” he whispered. She didn’t respond.  


	4. Chapter 4

_He’s sorry?_   Veronica was speechless. What do you say when the guy who has made sure your life was hell the last year apologizes? _Sorry for what? For abandoning me? Trying to hurt me? That I actually ended up hurt? What?_ Veronica locked her jaw, scowl focused firmly on Backup’s head.

“Veronica,” Logan’s voice was soft, imploring.

Against her will she glanced up. His eyes were piercing, and her breath caught in her throat as nostalgia coursed through her. For the first time in over a year her friend sat across from her. Something inside broke. The fear, anxiety, loneliness, and pain she had bottled since Lilly died, since her mom abandoned her, and especially since the night before, washed over her. Tears prickled behind her eyes. It was too much, too much to process and handle. Her throat constricted, and she choked as she tried to swallow. She was about to cry. _Please, god. Not here; not in front of him._ Jumping to her feet, she spun away from him toward the hall, toward the safety of her room. But he was there, stepping behind her and encircling her with his arms, whispering her name. She wanted to pull away, thought about pulling away, but it was too late. Everything came pouring out and she collapsed back into him, shoulders heaving and gasping for air. Logan guided her tenderly to the couch, murmuring words she couldn’t quite hear. Veronica instinctively curled into his chest as he stroked comforting circles over her back. He continued muttering soothingly to her as her sobs settled into hick-ups; until her breathing slowed and every part of her drooped, weary.

“You’re not fine, Veronica,” he whispered, mouth pressed to the top of her head.

Veronica stiffened, and Logan’s hand stilled on her back. _Rookie mistake, Mars. Never show the enemy weakness._ She rubbed the tears from her face furiously and moved from Logan’s embrace. He made no move to stop her retreat, folding his hands tentatively on his lap. Veronica took a deep breath, eyes closed; her headache returned full force during her breakdown. _This isn’t_ friend _-Logan. This is_ psychotic jackass _-Logan._ _He hasn’t been a friend since Lilly…_ She crossed her arms.

“So, how long until you tell everyone how unstable I am?”

“Veronica…” she couldn’t tell if it was hurt or regret in his voice. She narrowed her eyes but grimaced as the effort flared the pain in her head. “Hey, you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she sighed. “Just the after effects of using my head as a ping pong ball.” Logan straightened, like a rod shot down his spine. He seemed to really catalog her injuries for the first time; his face paled and mouth pinched into a hard line.

“Where’s your medicine?” came out gruff, almost angry.

“What?”

“Your medicine? Pain pills? Stuff to keep you from feeling like a ping pong ball.” The edge hadn’t softened. _Is he mad at me?_

“Uh, in my room,” Veronica offered. “But it’s fine. I just took some Tylenol a couple hours ago. Can’t take more yet."

Logan scoffed. “I know the hospital didn’t prescribe you Tylenol for that.” He gestured towards her.

“No,” she admitted. “But I don’t like taking the other stuff. Makes it hard to focus.”

“You don’t need to focus right now, Veronica,” he growled, sarcasm practically dripping. “Where’s the medicine your doctor prescribed?” She glanced to the kitchen island unintentionally, “Don’t worry about it, Logan. Really.”

He had followed her gaze, spotting the pharmacy bag on the counter and moved toward it. “Does you dad know you aren’t taking this?” he almost spat without looking back. Veronica flinched back, surprised at the venom in his voice.

“I told him I don’t need it. Because I don’t.” _Why am I telling him this? Why am I telling him anything?_ “Seriously, Logan.” She waved dismissively. “I don’t need you pretending to babysit me. And I really don’t need your guilt.”

“Cups?” Logan continued as if she hadn't spoken. He had already pulled the bottle out and dumped the correct dosage into his hand, ignoring her protests. When she didn’t respond he moved to the kitchen, opening cupboards until he found what he was looking for. He filled a glass and brought it with the medicine to Veronica and crouched to be level with her.

“Logan…” She began, exasperated. _Why is he pushing this?_

“Stop, Veronica. You aren’t going to heal if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Want to be able to focus sooner?” His lips dipped into a half sneer. But he softened as he nudged her with the hand holding the pills. “Take your medicine. Let you brain and body rest, reset, heal.”

“I… I don’t…” she stumbled, looking for the right words, a way to convince him without explaining why she wouldn’t, couldn’t, take what the doctor prescribed. “I don’t want to take it. I’m here, alone, and… and I... I can’t…” She sighed, frustrated, eyes dropping to her hands in her lap. After her everything she had been through the last 24 hours, she really wished he would just let this go.

“Veronica?”

“Please don’t push this,” she whispered softly. Logan didn’t respond. The silence grew awkward and Veronica couldn’t help but look up. He was looking away, but his jaw was locked tight and his face was hard. She took a deep breath, trying to say she couldn’t in a way he would believe, without giving anything away.

“I don’t understand why you won’t take care of yourself,” he hadn’t turned, face still firmly away from her.

“I am!” Veronica squeezed her eyes closed as the pain in her head intensified. “I don’t need to take that stuff to take care of myself.” His eyes finally met hers again, and she could read clearly the skepticism.

“You can’t move without grimacing, you’re covered in bruises; I’m sure you have a concussion. You need more than Tylenol.” She started to shake her head. “Just explain it to me, Veronica. Explain to me why you won’t take care of yourself.” She hadn’t heard this voice from him in a long time, soft and pleading and firm all at once. The box she’d stuffed her emotions in creaked open the tiniest amount.

“I can’t,” her voice was a whisper again. “I can’t lose control…” She could feel herself teetering on the edge of another breakdown and drew in a ragged breath. “I’m here, and I’m alone,” she was proud to hear some control back in her voice. “And I just can’t be zoned out on pain meds.”

“You’re not alone.” Logan moved the medicine near her hand again. “I’ll stay here, until your dad gets back.” Veronica debated this, unsure if Logan’s presence would help alleviate the panic she felt any time she felt as if she was losing control. Dad being here doesn’t help, why would Logan be any different? Hell, Logan will probably be worse. At her pensive frown, Logan added: “Please, let me do this. Let me help you.”

 _He isn’t going to let this go._ Sighing, Veronica stretched her hand out for the pills. _Mask up, Veronica. You’re about to lose control with a guy who was, until a half hour ago, your worst enemy. Better be sure._ She slammed the pills back with the water then, eyes twinkling, she opened her mouth and stretched out her tongue proving she did, indeed, swallow the medicine. “No hiding them in my cheek, see? Happy now?” Her voice was more mischievous than frustrated and Logan’s posture relaxed with her banter.

“Appreciate it, Mars.” He lifted his hand toward her, then let it drop. “So, you wanna crash on the couch or in your room? Either's good for me, though the bed might be a little more exciting…” He raised his eyebrows at her.

Her gut clenched uncomfortably at the thought of someone, even Logan, in her room (her bed) while she was doped on pain meds. _Get a grip, Veronica. He’s just messing with you, being Logan._ She sucked in a calming breath, but it was too late. Logan hadn’t missed her reaction. Pain and confusion flit across his face, his features settling to regret.

“God, sorry. That’s… I didn’t mean… I wasn’t thinking. It was a bad joke, I’m sorry.” He held up his hands and shook his head, eyes pleading. Veronica lifted the corners of her mouth into a weak grin, shoving her panic back into the deep recesses of her mind where it belonged.

“No need to apologize, Logan,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as forced as it felt. She took another breath and smirked up at him: “I knew what I was getting into, inviting Playboy Echolls into my house.” Then with a bravado she certainly didn’t feel, she added: “Do you want the left or right side of the bed?” punctuating the question with a wink.

********

Logan sat, stunned, as Veronica made her way back to her room. _She did not just invite me to bed with her._ He knew it was a joke, logically, but his heart skipped a beat as he scurried after her. She headed straight down the hall through the door on the end and Logan paused at the door as he took in her room. Snooping later. For now… he snaked past Veronica and plopped himself down on the edge of her bed.

“I’m not sure there’s room enough to share, Ronnie,” he challenged with a smile. “If we’re both going to fit we’ll have to snuggle up real close, me with my back to the wall. You’ll definitely knock me off otherwise.” He saw surprise and the same emotion he’d noticed earlier, the one he was sure was panic, before her lips thinned into a hard line and she quirked her eyebrow at him. The pursed lips could have been taken as disapproval, but Logan could see the twinkle in her eye. She was meeting his challenge. _I must have imagined it; panic isn’t easy to hide._

“Me kick you off?” she shot back. “You do realize you’re huge, right?” Logan let her statement hang in the air but made sure she could clearly see the innuendo on the tip of his tongue. “God, Logan!” She shoved him. Then she laughed, the first real laugh he’d heard from her since before Lilly.

He couldn’t help himself, he bumped his shoulder into her and put his arm around her pulling her to his side. Her muscles tensed for a moment, but she didn’t pull away and after a moment he felt her relax and settle into him. Even after spending the last day thinking of nothing but Veronica, Logan was surprised at how easily they had fallen back into their old rapport. He had no right to this, the ease he had with Veronica, and he knew it all too well. But he soaked it in, rubbing his hand gently down her arm and breathed in everything Veronica Mars. She was both new and familiar to him, like coming home after a long holiday to find your house totally redone; insides gutted and made completely unrecognizable. But, remodeling aside, home is still home. Logan hadn’t felt this content in years; not even before Lilly had… before Lilly. _But she’s here, she’s safe._ _And if I’m not totally mistaken, she was flirting._ His lips quirked up.

A soft snore brought his attention back to the tiny blond beside him. She’d fallen asleep, and despite her cuts and bruises, she looked peaceful. Serene. While continuing to stroke her arm he reached his other hand to trace her bruises, coming to a stop at the gash disappearing into her hairline. Teeth clenched against rising bile; Logan had to look away. A fierce protectiveness overtook him, and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to go back. He couldn’t return to how things had been just a day before: him mocking and egging on the hazing and hatred towards Veronica. He couldn’t take hurting her when all he wanted to do was protect her. _There’s nothing else for it, I’ll just have to get everyone to back off. No one’s going to go up against the son of America’s favorite celebrity._ He wouldn’t even have to explain it, just decree it.

When he was sure Veronica was sound asleep he settled her onto her pillow and covered her with the plush comforter. He took a moment to study her then; the hard edges which so represented Veronica lately were still evident, in her haircut and her new clothing style. Even the way she nestled into the pillow was defensive, less open than Veronica had been. Lifting his eyes from her, he took in the room around him. There were few things here which reminded him of the Veronica pre-fallout, but the board on her wall was the starkest sign that the girl beside him wasn’t that Veronica anymore. The board was covered in pictures of people in various stages of compromise. _Nice murder wall, Veronica._ He assumed the pictures were from cases she worked for her dad. Knowing she worked on cases like these, investigating the worst in people, was something Logan had yet to wrap his mind around. Pre-fallout Veronica was optimistic, always seeing the best in everyone. Pre-fallout Veronica wouldn’t imagine people in the situations depicted on her board, let alone document and display their indiscretions.

The rest of the room was fairly bare, neat and orderly, not betraying anything of the new Veronica. He wondered if new Veronica, all hard edges and sharp tongue, would care at all about his rekindled interest in her. The time they spent together today was significant to him, but this Veronica was full of fire and vengeance, and he wasn’t sure he could survive the flames.  _Way to be creepy and dramatic. Just because you’re ready to drop the feud doesn’t mean Veronica feels the same._ He couldn’t blame her, though he hoped the spark of affection he had seen today was real, genuine. She was amicable enough and definitely participated in the mildly flirtatious banter. Logan grinned. _That was better than all the snark we’ve traded this year._ With a last glance around the room, he slipped out leaving the door cracked should Veronica need him and settled on the couch. 


	5. Chapter 5

Veronica sat behind the wheel of the loaner car she had while hers was in the shop. At least my adoring fans won’t know which car to target for a couple days… She drew in a deep breath, trying to mentally preparing herself before starting the school day. She’d taken the previous day off, at her father’s insistence, but knew she needed to get back into routine despite the lingering effects of the concussion. Make-up covered the worst of her injuries, though there wasn’t much she could do about the bruise on her jaw. She hoped avoiding unnecessary interaction and conversation would dampen her other symptoms; she needed a clear head for her work today. _Let’s just hope my dear classmates play nice…_

Her mind flashed back to her conversation with Logan. _Be honest, Veronica, that’s why you’re really hiding out in your car._ Talking had been nice, and her lack of panic attack after taking the heavy medication with him there was unexpected. She expected to choke down her fear for Logan’s benefit, just to get him off her back about the medicine. But the panic never came, and she slept without nightmares for the first time in over a year. _You’re going soft, Mars. If anyone should cause nightmares, Logan should. It’s not like anything has really changed there, he’s still a jackass and I’m still an outcast._ With a final stabilizing breath, Veronica shook off the memories and exited her car.

The school was still fairly empty, she’d come early for a reason after all, and she hurried across the courtyard and into the building. First order of business was to find Weevil. The shit storm that was her life at the current moment was, at least partially, his fault. His suspicions about the two marks she tailed wasn’t unfounded; she had the injuries to prove it. The big question she intended to get the answer to was why those guys knew who she was. Sure, she’d worked on behalf of Weevil, and his crew by association, before. The guys she followed weren’t part of his crew and shouldn’t have had any idea who she was. Weevil was worried some of his guys were taking outside contracts with the marks, she was following them for any sign of Weevil’s crew more than to track the actions and movements of the marks, and the marks knowing her by name indicated someone from Weevil’s crew was passing information at the very least. But who from Weevil’s crew knew she was doing him a favor? Who even knew who she was? Her contact with the rest of the crew was very limited. _Though I did tase Felix. I suppose that would be memorable._

Either way, her experience proved what Weevil suspected: someone from his crew wasn’t as loyal as they wanted Weevil to believe. She stopped at her locker, changing the books she had with her to the ones she would need for class, then focused on locating the leader of the PCH biker gang. With any luck he’d be here early, but luck hadn’t exactly been on her side recently. _Stalking the halls isn’t going to be very effective._ Veronica turned toward the front entrance and her eyes fell on Wallace moving toward her, bright smile flashing.

“Superfly!” he called. “Where were you yesterd…” his voice trailed off as he took in her face. Damn, the bruise must be darker than I thought. She cracked a grin, hoping to distract him.

“Oh, you know me, can’t be too predictable. Gotta keep everyone on their toes.” She waved her hand dismissively. Wallace’s face fell, and his lips pursed.

“Veronica… you know there is no way I am not asking about that bruise.” His eyes were hard, and she knew he wouldn’t drop it, no matter how many times she changed the subject. She sighed and her hand lighted up to the scrape at her hairline. Wallace held her chin, inspecting both her cheek and forehead. “Seriously, V. What the hell?”

“What do you want me to say, Wallace? Sometimes what I do can be dangerous.” She shrugged her shoulders, dislodging her hand from his face as she did so.

“Your dad knows, right?”

“He was my personal escort to the hospital.” Veronica tried to keep her tone light, almost mocking but not to the point of sarcasm. Wallace wouldn’t appreciate sarcasm right now. “I promise I’m fine.” She was serious now. “A little banged up, but I heal fast.” She offered the most genuine smile she could, ignoring the ache in her temples. He looked back at her skeptically; she could see the protest forming on his lips. “Anyway, dear friend of mine, I have to go see a man about a horse.”

“But-”

“I promise we will catch up more later,” she offered as she turned to leave. “My table always has room at lunch!”

**********

Logan was off balance today. He’d left Veronica’s apartment when her dad got back, opting to let the Sheriff take over care of Veronica. Though he had made a point to mention Veronica had taken some of the doctor prescribed medicine. Her dad had looked surprised but made no comment about it, which had frustrated Logan. There was so much about Veronica that Logan no longer understood, and he had been hoping the Sheriff would share something, anything, that would help him understand the reaction Veronica had when he tried to get her to take the medicine. The Sheriff had not been forthcoming, and Logan had many questions left unanswered. He didn’t figure Veronica would be at school today given how bad she had looked the day before, so he was both surprised and a little angry to see her talking with the new kid. _What was his name?_

When Veronica turned away from her friend, _I seriously need to figure out that guy’s name_ , Logan moved to intercept her. He didn’t expect answers to all his questions at this point, but he thought he may be able to convince her to go home and rest up more. There was no way she was ready to be back at school. He stopped short when Veronica began chatting with Weevil. _What the hell does she think she’s doing?_ Getting mixed up with the leader of the PCH biker gang couldn’t mean anything good. Watching from a distance didn’t do anything to quell his curiosity, but it did keep him from kicking the shit out of Weevil. He wasn’t sure exactly where his animosity toward the biker was coming from, but it took all his self-restraint not to dash across the hallway and pummel the guy.

Veronica pulling Weevil into the girl’s bathroom didn’t help. _What the fuck? There is no way Veronica is dating that guy, is there?_ A tight ball formed in his gut making Logan want to run to the bathroom himself. _What the fuck are you doing, Veronica?_

“Dude, that chick is weird.” A voice behind him made him jump. He forced his arms to his sides, willing his muscles to relax, and turned toward his friend. “I mean, the baseball team isn’t surprising, but now she’s hooking up with that biker?” Logan’s jaw locked, and he grabbed Dick by the collar. “Woah dude, what the fuck?” Logan relaxed a little, taking in the surprise on Dick’s face. “What’s gotten into you man?”

“Nothing,” Logan sighed and patted Dick’s collar flat. “Just leave Veronica alone.” He looked Dick dead in the eyes, daring him to argue. Dick lifted his hands up, palms toward Logan.

“Okay, dude. Whatever.” Dick stepped back, shaking his head. “Don’t know why you seem to care what anyone says about her all the sudden.”

“You don’t need to, Dick,” he forced through gritted teeth. “You just need to make sure you and everyone else leaves her the fuck alone.” His hands were clenched at his sides, shoulders ridged.

“Hey guys, what’s going on?” _Of-fucking-course_ he _shows up now._ Logan forced himself to relax and turned his most dazzling smile on Duncan who was walking towards them, eyes darting from Logan to Dick.

“DK! Nothing at all-” Logan started when Dick cut in.

“The king has new orders regarding your old lady-love, Duncan.” Duncan’s eyes narrowed, and his eyebrows shot up as he motioned for Dick to continue. “Logan says we’ve all got to lay off Ronnie. Guess seeing her with that biker dude finally made him realize she’s not worth the trouble.”

Logan had never wanted to punch anyone more than he wanted to punch Dick at that moment. He turned on him, eyes blazing, when Duncan started laughing. Logan hadn’t heard Duncan laugh this hard in… well years. All his anger dissipated, and he turned to Duncan, jaw dropped and eyes wide. Dick had the same look. All they could do was stare as Duncan practically cried he was laughing so hard. After a minute Dick cleared his throat.

“Uh, you ok, dude?”

Duncan wiped at his eyes, gasping in breaths to control his laughter. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks man. I haven’t laughed that hard in forever.” Logan and Dick traded a look, waiting for Duncan to continue. Duncan gulped in more air, finally regaining control. When Duncan offered nothing further Dick began again.

“I mean, I know you guys used to know Ronnie, but Logan and I both saw-" Duncan cut him off, hand raised,

“Dude, I don’t care what you saw. No way is Veronica with Weevil,” he snickered out. Logan turned to him.

“I dunno man, Veronica has changed a lot.” _Am I trying to piss him off?_ “There’s no telling what she’d do now.” Duncan’s face turned hard.

“She hasn’t changed that much.” They stared at each other a long minute before Dick broke in again.

“Well either way, Logan changed his tune pretty fast. No more picking on Ronnie, I guess.”

“Lay off it, Dick,” Logan snapped. “I don’t have to explain it. Just leave Veronica alone.” Logan turned away from them at hard Duncan’s stare and stalked off to class.

*********

Veronica kept her arms crossed, a barrier between her and Weevil. “So, you’re saying you suspected someone in your crew was working outside your bounds, but you have no idea who it could possibly be?”

“No, V. I brought you in on this just so you would get your ass kicked.” Weevil rubbed the back of his neck, eyes down. Veronica grunted.

“Amusing.” Weevil studied her face, lingering on her forehead. His Adam’s apple bobbed erratically, and he dropped his gaze again. Veronica rubbed her temples, frustrated. I’m not going to get anywhere if everyone keeps treating me like a delicate fucking flower. “Any-” she began, but Weevil cut her off.

“Those two, they did this to you? You know that for sure?” Veronica recognized the look in his eye. Plenty of paying customers had given her dad that look. That’s the last thing I need. “I don’t know for sure,” she lied easily. “I don’t remember much aside from deciding to watch them that night.” Weevil flinched. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You go all righteous fury on them I’ll never find out which of your boys is passing them info.”

“We don’t know for sure-”

“I do.” Veronica cut him off. “They knew to be on the lookout for a tail.” She decided not to mention they also knew her name. She wasn’t supposed to remember much, after all.

“Maybe your nosy self pissed someone else off and you just don’t remember,” Weevil muttered. Veronica jammed her lips together in a hard line, blood rushing to her cheeks.

“ _You_ came to me worried about your ‘boys’,” Veronica snarled. She reminded herself Weevil didn’t know everything she did, by her own choosing. Taking a moment to breath and calm down, she reconsidered telling Weevil. _Who knows what he’d do with that information._ She decided against it. “So, what I need from you is to know why these guys. You don’t even know who in your crew to suspect, but you knew to have me watching them. How?”

“Eh,” Weevil hedges, “they are really the only other game in town. If my boys are dealing behind my back, they are doing it with the Fitzpatricks.”

Veronica turned icy. “You… you sent me after the Fitzpatricks?” Weevil shuffled his feet. “You sent me after the _Fitzpatrick’s_ and you didn’t tell me.”

“I thought you knew!” Weevil protested. “I mean, you’re a PI. I gave you their pictures. I thought getting their names would be your first priority.” Veronica scoffed. “Seriously, V. When you didn’t come to me with any issues I figured you didn’t care.”

“I fucking care, Weevil.”

“You out, then?” 

Veronica stared at him, then turned and stalked from the bathroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - I finally got this chapter done! I haven't edited it like I did the other chapters, because I really wanted to get it posted. I hope you guys enjoy it! Thank you all for your comments and encouragement! I am truly amazed by the response I have gotten thus far. I appreciate you all!

_Fitzpatricks? Fuck._ Veronica chided herself. Honestly, Weevil was right. If she hadn’t been busy with school and the side cases for her dad, she would have done the leg work to get the names before doing any surveillance. It had seemed simple, a cake-walk, to tail the marks waiting for any sign of someone from Weevil’s crew. Just trail them a few days, no one the wiser, and that would be that. Of course, it could never be simple. _So, what are you going to do, Veronica? Are you in or out?_ Veronica closed her eyes against the harsh school lights, aggravating her already throbbing head. Groaning, she rubbed her temples. _To go or ditch?_ There was no way her dad would care if she left school early, so long as she said it was because her head hurt. B _ut I really should try to get back into the routine of school. I can’t afford to miss much._ Getting the Kane scholarship was her ticket to Stanford, she couldn’t blow that because of a stupid mistake. She rolled back her shoulders and trudged grudgingly to her first class with a sigh.

“Sure you’re ready to be back?” Veronica started at the voice behind her. She turned slowly, so as not to add more fuel to her pounding head, and gave Logan her best glare possible. It wasn’t a very good one; the smirk she received in return told her as much.

“That’s your business how?” she snapped, frayed nerves preventing her from being cooler in her response. Logan took a half step away from her, eyes narrowing.

“I thought we went over this pretty well yesterday. I care about you, which makes your well-being a concern.” Sighing, Veronica willed herself calm and offered Logan a small smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.” She rubbed her temples and continued. “I’ve got a lot on my plate right now, so it isn’t so much a matter of being ready as not having any other choice.” His eyebrows furrowed, and his lips pulled down.

“What, exactly, is more important than you healing right now?” Though their tones held less animosity than they had two days prior, neither had completely dropped the sting of sarcasm which had developed over the last year.

“Not all of us have that oh-so-convenient trust fund securing our future.” Veronica matched Logan’s fire with her own. “I’ve still got to figure out some way to pay for college, so I have to keep my grades up. That means,” she waves her arms toward the halls, “I’m here whether I’m ready or not.” The frown that continued to tug at Logan’s lips drained the last of Veronica’s patience. “Can we please just not do this now, Logan? Seriously, I just don’t have the energy.”

Veronica turned away, almost missing Logan’s muttered “that’s why you shouldn’t be here.” She ignored him and stalked towards her first class cursing the circumstances which landed her in her current position. Logan was following her, she could feel him though she didn’t look back to check. He touched her elbow as she turned toward the classroom door. _I cannot deal with this right now._ Veronica turned towards him, poised for a fight, but the concern written on Logan’s face made the words catch in her throat.

“Just… let me know if you need me,” Logan said. “Please.” Veronica couldn’t speak, so she just nodded as she went to class.

Veronica only went to school to stay on top of her school work; unfortunately, her mind kept returning to her conversations with Logan. The direction their relationship was taking confused her, and she wasn’t sure what to do at this point. Falling back into their old habits was incredibly natural, which worried Veronica. And while she appreciated Logan’s apology, she wasn’t sure it changed anything, and she wasn’t sure she wanted it to. _Be honest, Veronica, you missed your friend._ She had missed Logan, but she wasn’t sure she actually had her friend back. Him not wanting her dead didn’t mean he wanted to be friends. Protectiveness wasn’t the same friendship. _Why am I even worrying about this? I have so many other things I need to focus on…_

The day slipped away, and Veronica found herself sitting at her usual table half listening to Wallace. Due to her distracted state, she took a moment longer than it should have for her to realize Wallace stopped speaking. She glanced at him in question and his eyes darted up behind her. She turned to see the new guy, Troy Vandergraff, standing behind her with his mouth pulled up in a half smile. From the limited interaction she’d had with him, he seemed nice enough, but she was still surprised to see an 09er at her table. His eyes widened, and his smile dropped as he studied her face.

“Hey.” she ignored the shift in his expression. “You aren’t lost, are you?” Waving her hand to the table in invitation, she turned back to her food. Troy took a spot next to her.

“Hey…” he replied slowly. Neither Veronica or Wallace gave any explanation for Veronica’s injuries and Troy didn’t seem to want to ask. Awkward silence filled the void and Veronica shifted slightly in her seat.

“So…" Veronica offered. "What were we talking about Wallace?”

“ _We_ weren’t talking about anything,” Wallace stated. “ _I_ was talking about a hot girl in my math class and _you_ were zoning out.” Veronica flinched a little and flashed Wallace an apologetic smile; he waved his hand an a ‘don’t worry about it’ gesture in response.

“Mmm, hot girl? Do tell.” Troy leaned toward Wallace, chin braced on his fist. Veronica tuned out again as Wallace went into excruciating detail about the ‘hot girl’s’ assets.

“This guy bothering you?” For the second time that day, Logan took Veronica by surprise. She glanced up at him, eyebrows raised.

“Wallace? Naw, he and I are cool.” She crossed her arms, trying to read Logan’s intent. Tension levels at the table skyrocketed. The last interaction Wallace had with Logan involved a crowbar and broken headlights, so his reaction to Logan’s approach was understandable. Troy stiffening at her side confused her, however. As a fellow 09er, she figured Troy would respond more positively to Logan’s arrival. His posture mirrored hers, crossed arms and stiff back, suggesting otherwise. Logan took seat on Veronica’s other side and extended his hand toward Wallace.

“Wallace, huh? Logan.” Wallace flinched back from Logan’s hand, eyeing it as he would a snake.

“Yeah, man. I know who you are,” Wallace snapped. “Though the crowbar made you more memorable than me, so you probably don’t remember.”

“Ah,” Logan pulled his hand back and popped his lips. “Foreplay.”

Both Wallace and Troy protested Logan’s comment, but Veronica just elbowed him with a half-smile. Logan chuckled at her response, looking down at her appreciatively through his lashes.

“So, Logan, whatcha doing over here slummin’ it?” Veronica tried to ease the tension still vibrating from the other two boys at the table.

“Oh, you know." He emphasized with his usual flourish. "The glare from the golden table gets rough on the eyes every now and then.” Veronica rolled her eyes.

“No threat of that here in the dark lands.” Wallace stared at Veronica like she’d grown an extra head. “You lack the protection of the king out here, though. Sure it’s worth the risk?” Logan flashed his thousand watt smile and Veronica’s lips lifted in return.

“Definitely worth it.” Troy cleared his throat and Veronica dropped her eyes. _Geez, Veronica, why don’t you just broadcast you’re just a big ol’ marshmallow. That’s just the information you want the sharks having._ Wallace gave Veronica his ‘we’ll talk later look’ and Veronica wished she could drop her head to the table without being completely conspicuous. Instead she smiled meekly at Wallace and pushed food around on her tray, trying not to think too hard about Logan sitting at her lunch table acting for all the world like they were friends. _What the hell does this mean?_

********

_She didn’t tase me._ The unfortunate comment about foreplay just slipped out, and Logan panicked the moment he heard the words leave his mouth. His panic made the rest of the conversation  a bit fuzzy, but Logan felt her smiles and banter deep in his gut. _God I missed her._ All too soon she was standing, moving away from him, and he wasn’t at all ready. He stood and followed her as she dumped her tray and headed back towards the school. He had to forcibly steady his step when he noticed an unintentional skip in his step.

“Moved from creepy staring to stalking, huh?” Veronica stopped and turned towards him, hand on her hip.

Logan chuckled, “I wasn’t sure it’d be safe to leave you alone. You seem a magnet for trouble.” Veronica raised an eyebrow.

“I am not a magnet for trouble.”

“Your conversation with the leader of a biker gang begs to differ.”

“That’s my private business, Logan.” Veronica’s voice turned icy, her eyes narrowed. Logan took a half step back, rubbing his eyes, hoping to seem less imposing.

“I’m not trying to get involved in your business,” Logan placated. “You can do what you want. I just want to make sure you’re safe.” Veronica rolled her eyes, dropping her arms to her sides.

“That’s not your job.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he just watched as she moved into the school. Someone clearing their throat brought him back to the moment. Veronica’s friend, W _alter? Wallace_ , looked at him with hard eyes and arms crossed.

“What’s up, dude?” Logan figured getting right to it would make this whole conversation less painful.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Uhm, standing?”

“You know what I mean. What’s with the creepy stalker act?”

“Creepy stalker…" Logan drug out the words. "I don’t know what you mean.”

“You and V aren’t friends. Two days ago, you were actively out to hurt her. Now, what, you’re all buddy buddy?”

“I wasn’t –”

“You hurt her, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Chill, dude. I’m not going to hurt her.” Wallace snorted.

“Yeah, I trust you so much. Just… why don’t you just leave her alone. She was doing just fine without you.”

Wallace stalked into the school, leaving Logan stunned and alone for the second time in only a few minutes. _Well, that should be fun._ Logan had no intention of leaving Veronica alone, but the friction between him and Wallace would have to go. The new kid had attached himself pretty tightly to Veronica and Logan didn’t really have any desire to alienate Veronica from anyone else. He’d have to befriend Wallace, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be easy. Being friends with Veronica again would be worth it, though, he already missed her banter and company. He’d also have to figure out what was going on with Weevil. No way is she doing anything dangerous alone again. _I'll resort to stalking if I have to._ He smirked to himself at the thought of attempting to stalk Veronica Mars. Despite the difficulties ahead, Logan hadn’t felt so light in years.

Then he remembered why he’d joined Veronica at her table in the first place: Troy Vandergraff. He’d noticed Troy’s interest in Veronica earlier, and it hadn’t set well with him then, but now he knew he’d need to do something about it. Something was off with Troy, and he was not going to let him mess with Veronica. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Unfortunately, he’d tried getting information from Duncan with no luck, and he wasn’t sure where to look next. _Veronica would know._ He was surprised at the errant thought which flit through his mind. Veronica would know, that was certain, but he wasn’t used to thinking about Veronica in times of need or crisis. It had been awhile since he let himself think of her in times of trouble. At this point, though, he didn’t think Veronica would be too keen to help him dig up some dirt. The flirting between Troy and Veronica was obvious, and Logan didn’t want to get in the way of a potential relationship should he be wrong. He briefly considered asking Wallace for help, but given the way he and Wallace met, his last conversation with Wallace, and Wallace’s apparent friendliness with Troy, he’d have more luck asking Veronica. _Being friends with Veronica just may kill me._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - Sorry this update was a little later. We moved, then lost power for 3 days, and life has just been crazy. But things are way more steady now and I am hoping to update twice a week. But I make no promises, I do have other things I have to do, so I'll have to kind of gauge what is possible this week and I will know more with the next update. :) Enjoy the chapter!

> _Her heartbeat was as frantic as her hands in his hair, gripping and pulling him closer to quell the butterflies churning in her stomach. The need to be closer to him intensified as his fingers trailed goosebumps up her back and shoulder. She pushed him back onto the seat of the car and straddled his hips; a soft moan escaping her lips as their contact sent shivers up her spine. Rough hands worked up her sides to her hair, bringing her lips crashing into his. It wasn’t enough. Every part of her vibrated from a need to be closer to him, nearer to him than she’d been before. Veronica pulled her hands through his hair and gripped his bag hairs in her fist and deepening their kiss. A groan slipped from his lips and he pulled back, running his hands from her hair down to cup her face._
> 
> _“Veronica,” he breathed._

Veronica shot up from her bed, Logan’s name still on her lips. _What the hell was that?_ She brushed her hair back from her face and dropped her hands to her sides, fingers crinkling and relaxing the comforter. Vivid dreams were nothing new, but she was not expecting _Logan_ of all people to feature in any. Let alone a type which had to this point starred Duncan Kane. _Problem for another time; pull it together Veronica._ Stretching her arms above her head, it hit Veronica she would have to face Logan today. _This is going to be awkward._ Luckily, she’d developed a decent poker face. It would still be incredibly uncomfortable, but she was used to that; her entire last year had been uncomfortable, she could handle this too. _Right? Right._

The morning passed in a haze, and she stayed lost in thought until someone rushed by her knocking into her shoulder as they passed. Piercing pain jolted up her spine through her head as her books flew from her arms. She dropped uncomfortably to her hands and knees, hissing through her teeth. Tears sprung to her eyes and her vision swam. _Damn._ Steady breaths helped push down the dizziness enough for her to crack her eyes. Her books and papers were strewn out in front of her. _Perfect way to start the day._

“Hey.” Logan’s hand on her shoulder caused her to jump, sending new tendrils of pain and dizziness through her. “Are you okay?” Veronica flinched away from his touch and he drew his hand back but didn’t move away. He crouched down, balancing on the balls of his feet. The world to tilted and swayed. Her arms buckled, and Logan’s caught her before she hit the ground entirely.

“Woah, woah, hey.” Logan moved Veronica in his arms, until he was practically cradling her. “Veronica, hey.” _Focus on breathing, Veronica. In, out, in -_  “Hey, are you okay?” He brushed her hair back from her face, sending a warm tingling throughout her body.

“Uh…” Her brain was sluggish, but she knew she needed to move before she embarrassed herself even more. “Yeah.” She started to sit up and was hit by the nausea, ever waiting in the wings. Logan moved back some as she dry heaved, keeping steadying hands on her as he did so.

“Veronica…” his patronizing tone was back. “What happened?” She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath.

“It’s nothing, Logan. Some guy just bumped into me. I guess I’m still not up to one hundred percent.”

“You don’t say?”

“The sarcasm really helps, thanks.”

“I live to serve.”

“I’m going to try standing now.” Logan narrowed his eyes at her but held out a hand. An image of that hand running across her surfaced and she starred at his hand a moment too long.

“Uh –”

“Come on, Veronica. I don’t bite.” She took his hand and leaned into him as she rose to her feet. He flashed her his signature smirk, and her heart skipped a beat. _Woah, Veronica. Emergency break, like, now_.

“Yeah, thanks.” She pulled away, and belatedly realized her school supplies were still scattered on the ground. Shoulders slumping, she bent her knees and reached toward them. Logan reached his arm across her, stopping her.

“Woah there,” he chuckled. “I just got you off the ground. How ‘bout you don’t put yourself right back there.” Veronica gave him her hardest glare, but he just gave her that smirk again. Logan turned to gather her books and was joined by Troy. _Now there’s a cute guy who should get your heart a-flutter. What is wrong with me?_

“Need some help?” Troy offered.

“I got it, thanks.” The same tension which permeated the air at lunch the previous day was back in full force. Her eyes darted between the two boys as she watched them size each other up.

“Uh, Logan?” She decided to intervene when Logan’s nostrils flared, and he took a half step toward Troy. “My books?” Logan blinked, looking back at Veronica, then down at her books in his hand.

“Right.” He handed her books over, eyes still glazed and far away.

“Thanks,” she drew the word out as she studied his face. Inappropriate flashes of her dream danced behind her eyelids again. She turned, smiling, to Troy. “So, care to walk me to class?”

********

Logan watched Veronica walk away with Troy; he ground his teeth, chin jutting. He had no doubt Troy wasn’t good news, but Veronica didn’t seem particularly receptive to him. She seemed more closed off than yesterday, and he had no idea what prompted the change. Their banter had been relaxed and fun, and he already missed that ease. Frowning, he stared after her until Duncan caught his eye. Things between them had been tense; Logan offered a little salute and half-smile.

“You trying to light the school on fire?”

“So far unsuccessful.”

“You know what they say, if at first you don’t succeed –”

“Ah, I used to know this one.” Logan snapped his fingers. “Something about a better hooker?”

“Dude!” Duncan punched his shoulder with a half-laugh. After a moment: “hey,” Duncan’s voice was soft. _This should be good._ “What was that with Veronica? She didn’t look so good.”

“What do you care?” Logan knew his reaction was clipped, more so than necessary, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Duncan hadn’t shown any interest in Veronica for more than a year, hadn’t tried to intervene on her behalf with any of the shit he’d pulled, and now he wanted to white knight it? It was classic Duncan.

“Come on, man. I still care about Veronica.”

“You have really been perfecting that indifference act,” Logan scoffed. "I never would have guessed."

“Look who's talking. Just two days ago you were general leading the charge against Veronica. Now you’re, what? Friends again?”

“We aren’t anything. I just realized she doesn’t deserve what I’ve been doing, what I’ve been allowing.”

“Whatever, man.” Duncan furrowed his eyebrows, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Just… is she okay?” The corner of his lips was curved down, a bitter grimace shadowed his features.

“Uhm… I don’t really think it’s my place to tell you,” Logan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He did feel bad, if belatedly. Duncan was his best friend, after all.

“Come on –”

“No, DK, look. I’m sorry. It really isn’t my story to tell. Ask her yourself.” Duncan gave him a hard look, then shook his head and stalked off. _Yup, definitely fixed that relationship right up._ His mind didn’t stay on Duncan long, though. Veronica kept his mind occupied as the day went on: he wanted to know what made her bring her walls back up, he wanted to know what she was doing that got her hurt, and he wanted to know if she was okay. Really, actually okay. And he only knew of one person who could answer that question for him… well, besides Veronica. _I’ve got to get Wallace to trust me…_ He figured his tendency to be sarcastic wouldn’t earn him any favors with Wallace, even if Veronica seemed to appreciate it, so he would need a different tactic. The only thing Logan knew that Wallace cared about was Veronica, and if anyone could understand that Logan could. _So, I’ll use the Veronica angle._

He hesitated to use the word stalking to describe how he tracked down Wallace, but it seemed oddly fitting. He’d seen him with Veronica between classes and kept tabs on him from that point until lunch, hoping to catch Wallace before he took his usual spot by Veronica. Approaching Wallace would take some finesse, so Logan spent the hour before lunch figuring the best way to broach the topic of Veronica. In the end, his preparation didn’t mean much. The knots in his stomach drove out his carefully planned speech and the words tumbled from his mouth before he consciously realized Wallace’s proximity.

“I’m worried about Veronica.” Logan stepped in front of Wallace, extending his hand towards the other boy. He regretted the tactic as Wallace crossed his arms, face hard.

“You’ve got a funny way of showin’ it.” Logan pulled his hand back, fingers toying with the cuffs of his shirt.

“I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I really care about her,” he tried to explain. “You just, you don’t know our history. She knows… she has to know I’d never want her hurt.”

“Yeah, I don’t know your history,” Wallace’s sneered. “But where I’m from, you protect the people you care about.”

“I messed up, this last year, I know. But I want to make up for it, I want to protect her.”

“She doesn’t need your protection.” Logan flinched back from the ice in Wallace’s voice. He took a moment, processing what Wallace had said. Wallace shook his head and moved to walk past Logan. Logan put his hand out, grabbing the other boy’s arm.

“Maybe she doesn’t,” he offered hesitantly. “But can you really say she has everything under control? Can you really say she doesn’t need someone watching her back?”

“I’m watching her back.”

“Yeah, you’re doing a bang-up job. She meant to end up in the hospital.” It was Wallace’s turn to flinch. “That’s what I thought. Explain to me why she ended up there if you’re all she needs.”

“Why don’t you ask Veronica what she wants.” Logan jammed his teeth together, fighting back a growl.

“You know she would never ask for help, never even admit she needs it.” Wallace’s eyes grew wide and his mouth popped open, just for a moment. “I told you, we have history. I just want to make sure she is safe,” Logan pleaded.

“Look,” Wallace softened, giving Logan his first real bud of hope. “I can’t betray Veronica like that. I appreciate it, man, but there’s nothing I can do.” Logan nodded, unwilling to push the bounds of the tentative truce he felt developing.

“I get it, thanks dude.” He moved to turn away, then stopped. “You’re headed to see her now, right?” Wallace gave a hesitant nod, eyes narrowing. Logan smiled softly. “I’ll come with you. She didn’t seem to mind having me around yesterday.” Wallace kept his eyes narrowed but didn’t wave Logan off. The knots in Logan’s stomach loosened, and it took all his self-control to keep from skipping off to the lunch table.

********

Veronica wanted to crash as soon as the school day finished, it had been long and weird, and she really just wanted a break. But she’d promised a movie night with her dad, hoping by making some daddy daughter time she could ease the lingering tension. Patching her relationship with her dad was meant more than her high school drama, and she was frustrated with her inability to focus on what was actually important. Once she was healed and the incident earlier in the week faded from memory she would need to broach the subject of her working cases again. There were still far too many cases for her dad to handle alone, especially since the money her father made catching bail jumpers was necessary to maintain even their current lifestyle. He would realize her help was essential, given time. Hence the burying of her awkward school day to focus on a movie night with her dad.

In keeping with their usual tradition, they went out to rent a DVD for the evening festivities. Her father made his usual crack about renting the same movie he got every time. Their usual banter was clipped and stilted, and Veronica felt guilty. She knew her dad was trying, offering an olive branch with the suggestion of movie night and his forced levity. Focusing on reconciliation was more difficult than she expected, and she was having more trouble than she bargained for keeping her mind from wandering to Logan. He’d been annoyingly persistent and present in the real world and in her head – _what was with him and Wallace all buddy-buddy at lunch today, anyway?_ – and w __hile the _real_ Logan was easy enough to deal with using her usual methods (avoidance and a strong poker face), her thoughts on Logan were infinitely more complex.

_Why is he getting to me like this? One day of him not acting like an ass and, what? You want to make-out with him? Date him? Nothing has actually changed, so what the hell is wrong with me?_

But she knew something had changed. Logan was not acting at all like he had a few days prior. His behavior was much closer to _pre-disaster_ Logan; the Logan with whom she had been friends.

“Sorry… uh,” a timid voice pulled Veronica from her musings. “Excuse me?” She looked up at the boy standing behind the counter of the check out line.

“Uh, yeah?” She knew her voice was clipped but couldn’t muster up much care.

“You’re Veronica Mars, right?”

“Yuh.”

“Your dad’s a PI? And you do work with him sometimes?” He was fidgety, his voice cracking.

“Sometimes,” she responded hesitantly.

“Can I talk to you about something?” The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and the kid leaned towards her, eyes wide.

“Sure.” She waited, crossing her arms across her chest.

“It’s kind of private…” _I knew it. He wants a favor._ Veronica already had plenty to do: Weevil’s case, schoolwork, whatever she could get her dad to trust her with. She really didn’t need more on her plate.

“Find me at school.” _Why did I say that?_ “Tomorrow.”

“Okay, thanks.” Veronica tapped her fingers on the counter top, then turned to find her dad. She groaned, frustrated at herself and whoever the kid was for adding more to her workload. Flaring pain in her temple reminded her the workload wasn’t her only problem. _How long’s a concussion headache supposed to last anyway?_ As if she wasn’t already dealing with enough, she had to do it all while pretending to ignore the constant discomfort. _And I’ve just added to my caseload. Why did I do that again?_ She shook her head with a grimace and followed her dad out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is taking me longer than I bargained for to get through the emotional foundation enough to get back to the action, so I hope you guys are enjoying the story still even though it is slower paced at the moment. I am probably going to be posting slightly longer chapters so I can get through more with each one, but I'm not sure yet! 
> 
> I really feel building up their relationship will be important to the overall story development, so let me know if you agree. Thank you for reading and commenting. It helps so so much!
> 
> Also, this was my very first time attempting anything even smut-like, so let me know how I did. I know the scene was super short, but any feedback on that specifically would be much appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm using this chapter as my contribution to Day 2 of the LV AU Week Challenge. 
> 
> Also, I wanted to say I am sorry it took so long for this chapter! I had so many pieces I wanted to get in play, so it is double the length of my usual chapters. I hope that makes up for it! And enjoy. :)

The small, squirrely boy found Veronica while she was trading books at her locker. His pathetically big doe-eyed look didn’t evoke the sympathy she expected it to, but she pulled him to her office anyway. He gave her some sob story about a dead-beat father he inexplicably wanted to track down, and she agreed to investigate it. Guilt washed over her as he left the bathroom; she really should be more empathetic, and if she weren’t still nursing a constant headache she might be. As it was, both her patience and tie to the boy’s case were thin. N _ot to mention his dad’s name is John Smith. JOHN SMITH. Really._ She’d do the bare minimum, find what she easily could, then let it go. Wallace would be her first stop: his permanent file could potentially save her a lot of time and trouble. Once she looked that over, she’d have a better idea of where to start looking. A _nd maybe I can send out some letters. Absentee or not, any parent who cares at all will pass on important information concerning their kid._

Class was starting soon, so she rushed to find Wallace and get him to grab that kid’s file.

“Papa Bear!” She caught up with Wallace in the hall, smiling wide.

“Hey Superfly, how you holding up?”

“Perfect, as always.”

Worry flickered across Wallace’s face before he gave her a sad smile. “Sure, so what’s up?”

“I can’t just be checking in with my best bud?”

“With that look?” Veronica glanced down, feeling vulnerable, but quirked her lips up at Wallace anyway. “I need a favor…” Wallace shook his head, then waved for her to go on. “I need you to get a kid’s file for me. You know that freshmen, Justin?” She pointed him out and Wallace nodded. “He asked me to help him find his dad, so…”

“I’ll get it,” he chuckled. “And hey, thanks for telling me.”

With a hug and a wave, Wallace headed off to class. Veronica looked after him, anxiety and guilt warring with the rarely felt warmth of comfort. The comfort quickly dissipated as she noticed Logan watching her. The effects of her dream had not worn off, and she was not comfortable with how quick her mind brought up those images any time she saw him. Her chest tightened as he moved toward her and she did her best to pull her lips from a grimace into some semblance of a smile.

“So, you seem busy today.”

“Well, idle hands and all.”

Logan stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. He shifted his eyes toward the ground and was silent a moment. “You need anything?”

“Uhm –”

“I just, you know, you still look… you’re still healing. And I really want to be your friend, Veronica.” He looked down at her through his lashes, eyes pleading. “Friends look out for each other, right?”

“Uh…” Veronica wasn’t used to being speechless, but Logan kept catching her off guard. She realized he was staring at her, face quickly falling. “Right. Friends, of course.” _If I can just get my subconscious on-board._

“So?” His face expectant.

“So? …So, what?”

“Do you need anything?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I mean, no. Sorry.” Veronica shrugged, mouth twisting to a grimace at the movement. “I appreciate it,” He frowned, turning his head away. She reached her hand and brushed his arm. “I really do,” she insisted, trying to catch his eye. “Really. There just isn’t anything anyone can do. Unless you’ve developed magical healing powers…”

Logan chucked, lifting his head to meet her eyes. “Well you won’t know unless you ask.” He held her gaze, expectant.

Veronica groaned, rolling her eyes. “Logan, have you happened to develop magical healing abilities?”

“Nope.” He popped the ‘p’ and bopped her on the nose. Veronica laughed and pushed his hand away.

“Was that necessary?” He just smirked at her. “Alright, get to class. I’ve got things to do.”

Logan gave her arm a squeeze and turned on his heel. She could still feel the ghost of his hand, leaving goosebumps behind. Veronica watched him walk away, thoughts scattered and uncomfortably mushy. _Friends, Veronica. He just wants to be friends._ She stared after him and was brought from her musings by Troy. He smiled down at her and she got the overwhelming urge to run away and find Logan. Instead she smiled back, falling in step with him.

“Let’s go out.”

“Finally, the girl comes to her senses!”

By all rights she should be excited. Troy was the only 09er who hadn’t ostracized her. He was nice and sweet, and he seemed genuinely interested in a real relationship with her. _So why do I feel like I just swallowed a big ball of iron?_ Plastering a semi-genuine smile on her face she forced the feeling down, trying to muster even a smidge of enthusiasm. It didn’t work. Luckily, she still had that poker face to fall back on.

*********

Logan heard about Veronica and Troy’s date through the 09er grapevine, and his reaction was poor. His gut instinct was to remove the potential threat to Veronica, but he realized that was ridiculous. Not every problem could be solved with fists. _Never thought I’d have that particular thought…_ But no way Veronica would appreciate the blood and guts approach. If he was going to get Troy out of Veronica’s life he would have to find something to back up his suspicions. The sooner the better. _Too bad I have absolutely no idea how to go about that_. He supposed someone in the 09er circle had to know something about Troy, talking with his ‘friends’ would be the first step. Logan spent the next couple class periods speaking with anyone he thought might know a bit about Troy. Turns out self-centered 09ers weren’t super reliable. No one he spoke to knew Troy, but Shelly mentioned she’d seen Duncan around him a few times and Logan realized what he’d have to do: talk to Duncan. It shouldn’t be so difficult to talk to your best friend.

He found Duncan at lunch, surrounded by the usual hangers-on. Duncan was talking, laughing; he seemed more alive than he had in month. Despite their estrangement, Logan was glad to see the improvement; Duncan was a zombie far too long. He set himself down across the table and observed for a moment. While Duncan was more animated, more alive, but there was something hollow in his demeanor. Logan was sure Duncan was far from back to his old self. _Better approach this carefully._ He spied Troy uncomfortably close to Veronica at her usual table, so now was as good a time as any to learn what Duncan knew. If only he knew just how to approach the topic. Luckily, he shouldn’t have worried.

“Dude, Duncan, did you hear Troy is taking that skank –” Dick caught Logan’s eye and did a quick course correction. “I mean, taking out _Veronica_.” _Good old Dick._

“Leave it alone, Dick,” Duncan all but growled.

“Okay, man.” Dick shook his head and turned his attentions back to Madison.

Logan shifted closer to Duncan, nudging him. Duncan turned steely eyes on him, but that was all. He kept the rest of his body stiff and still, moving only his head. Logan deflated slightly, but knew he needed to start the conversation.

“So, you’re really not worried about Troy and Veronica?”

“No.” Duncan turned away.

“What do you really know about Troy?” He was stretching the limits, now, he knew. But he had to try, had to know.

“Why?” He was back, now, icy.

“We used to watch out for her, you know?” Logan decided going with the truth was best. Duncan would see through any lie, and it wouldn’t’ be enough to get Duncan to open up. “I just think we’ve done enough. I want to make sure she’s really okay.”

“You sure it isn’t jealousy?”

“What?” Logan was shocked, his gut twisting harder than he would have expected it to. “No, of course not.” He denied it, perhaps more vehemently than necessary. “I just miss her.”

Duncan softened, examining his hands a moment. “I miss her too,” he whispered.

“So, help me. I don’t trust Troy, do you?”

Duncan was silent a moment, “I guess. I knew him; our families used to vacation together. I never spent a lot of time around him, especially not after middle school. He moved away; we didn’t stay in contact.”

“And there was never anything, nothing that felt off about him?”

“Uh,” Duncan was engaged now, and Logan felt his breath come easier and his heartrate slow.

“I think they kept moving around a lot. Never explained why. He never stayed at one school long.”

“Okay, okay.” Logan’s brain was on overdrive now. He knew plenty of reasons why someone would be changing schools frequently, and none of them were good. Massaging his temple, he tried to straighten out his haywire brain. “You think he’d open up to you? Talk to you about it?”

“I dunno, man. Maybe?”

“Veronica has so much going on, DK. I just want to help her, if I can. Are you going to help me or not?”

Duncan drew his hands across his face. “Yeah, okay. I’ll talk to him. But, don’t expect to much. We aren’t like, sleepover buddies or anything.”

“Good to know I haven’t been totally replaced.”

“Oh, you have, just not by him. I prefer my sleepover buddies to have more… feminine qualities now.”

“Oh ho! I take it you had an enjoyable time with Shelly last night?”

Logan was grateful for Duncan’s help, and the shift in their relationship since Duncan offered it, but he wasn’t about to put all his eggs in that particular basket. It hadn’t proved the most reliable as of late. He had at least something to go on, now, so he thought he would try talking to Wallace again. If Veronica’s new BFF was wary of Troy, Logan might just have another recruit to the ‘get rid of Troy’ cause. Plus, Wallace might know some of Veronica’s tricks, and Logan wanted to use any possible method to get dirt on Troy.

He caught up with Wallace after lunch.

“Hey man, you got a sec?”

“For you? Better have something valuable.”

“Uh, okay.” Logan shifted his feet and pulled on his sleeve cuffs. He opened and closed his mouth a couple times, then: “Okay, so, uhm. Look, I –”

“Spit it out! You look like you’re about to pass out and I am _not_ catching your ass.”

“So, Troy –”

“Let me stop you right there.” Wallace lifted his hand, face stony. “As far as I’m concerned, Troy is one of the only 09ers that’s worth a damn.” Logan cleared his throat, suddenly feeling as if something was lodged there. “He is the _only one_ of you pricks who never jumped on the ‘hate Veronica’ bandwagon. And he has been nothing but decent to my girl since he got here. Just because you’re getting all hormonal and jealous does _not_ mean you get to try to sabotage a good relationship for Veronica.”

“But what if it’s not good?” Logan forced the words around the frog in his throat.

“I’ve got no reason to think otherwise,” Wallace retorted firmly.

“I do. Look,” Logan was stumbling over words again, and he didn’t like it. He steadied himself. “I didn’t go to Veronica because I didn’t want to interfere with anything good –”

“Because you knew she wouldn’t care what your dumb ass had to say on the topic,” Wallace interjected, folding his arms but making no move to leave. Logan gave an acquiescent nod and continued.

“Just, pretend for a moment you believe I care about Veronica. Someone who has known Troy for a long time said he has transferred schools a lot. I’m sure you can believe I’ve flirted with that circumstance myself, so I am uniquely qualified to propose why someone would have to transfer schools so frequently and believe me it isn’t anything good.”

There was silence and Logan watched Wallace’s face with baited breath. Wallace met Logan’s eyes, partly accusatory and partly curious. Logan took that as a good sign.

“All I want to do is make sure Veronica doesn’t end up with more on her plate,” he insisted softly. “You and I both know she’s drowning as it is. She didn’t even stop long enough to heal proper.” Logan hated the bitterness he heard in his voice, and Wallace’s expression told him Wallace hadn’t missed it.

“I am not saying I believe you, but if I was curious about why Troy transferred so much, would that information be in his permanent file?”

Logan cracked a grin, relief causing his knees to weaken. “Yeah,” he laughed out. “It definitely should be. I’d be concerned if it weren’t.”

“You know Veronica will be pissed if we do this, right?”

“Definitely. But unless we find something, she doesn’t need to know.”

“You got that right.”

********

Wallace was already planning to dip into the permanent files for Veronica’s sake, so he didn’t feel too guilty about snagging Troy’s as well. Vice Principle Clemens thwarted his first attempt to sneak the records, he was perusing them himself when Wallace had planned to grab them. With basketball practice after school, and his lack of school keys, he’d have to get them the next day. He did take some time to help Veronica send out a bunch on letters on Justin’s behalf (trying to smoke out the deadbeat dad). It had been his first real interaction with Veronica since her attack, and he had to admit Logan was right. Veronica had way to much on her plate. After she spent a whole minute staring blankly at the wall, Wallace felt he had to say something. “

Hey, Superfly?”

“Yeah?” Her voice was strong, but her eyes were distant, and she kept grimacing when she moved.

“You’d tell me if you needed anything, right?” She finally looked at him like she really saw him.

“Of course,” she said offhandedly. But he could see the walls come up, physically feel the distance she was putting between them.

“I’m serious, Veronica. I’m here for you, if you’ll just tell me what you need.”

“People keep saying that to me today,” she sighed.

“Maybe you should believe them.” Veronica met his eyes, her expression unreadable.

“Thanks,” she finally muttered. Wallace groaned, throwing down the letter on which he had been placing a stamp. “What?”

“You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“Just how much people care about you.”

Veronica paused a moment, hands fidgeting over the envelope she was stuffing. “I know you care.”

“Then why don’t you let me help you?” Her responding smile was sad; Wallace felt his stomach drop.

“You are helping me. Can you imagine if I had to mail all these out myself? Can you say carpal tunnel?”

Wallace knew the conversation was over, so he just shook his head and went back to stamping envelops. _This girl is going to drive me crazy. If I end up a murderer, it’s gonna be her fault._ He smiled a bit to himself. _It’d be worth it though._

The next day, Wallace took the first possible opportunity he could to get the records. He’d been anxious about it all night. _Got to get this over with._ He got a pass from his home room teacher and rushed to the record room finding it blessedly empty. Both files were easy to locate, and he was back in home room in under 5 minutes. Recently, he’d taken to browsing through the files before delivering them to Veronica and he forgot all about Troy’s as soon as he started reading through Justin’s old evaluations. _Seriously? Veronica is going to tear that kid apart._ Wallace caught up with Veronica between classes.

“You’re going to want to look at this,” was all he said, handing over the file. Veronica perused it.

“‘Great potential’, glowing reviews from his kindergarten teacher –”

“Keep reading.”

“‘Justin behavior has become moody and withdrawn. His behavior is not surprising considering his father’s recent death’??”

Veronica’s voice grew shrill the farther she read, and she clenched her hands around the file. Color rose to her cheeks as she smashed her lips into a thin line. She stalked off and Wallace trailed behind, feeling a bit too excited about the coming scene. Once she spied the weaselly freshman, Veronica grabbed his arm and jerked him around. She had surprising strength for someone so small, but Wallace could see the strain in the sweat on her forehead and whiteness around her mouth.

“You!” she accused. “Everything you told me was a lie!” She waved his school records in font of his face. “Tell me how I’m supposed to ‘find your dad’” she sneered, “when your dad is dead.” She paused a beat. Justin’s eyes widened, face paling, but he said nothing in response. “You wasted my time! That drives me crazy! And! You owe me $150 in postage!” Veronica stared at him, chest heaving. She shook her head with a scoff and stalked towards Wallace. “Let’s go, Papa Bear.”

Wallace noticed Logan doing that broody lean against some lockers, eyes locked on Veronica. _That boy may be in denial, but I know the signs of puppy love._ Logan lifted his head and Wallace waved the second folder, letting Logan know he’d grabbed Troy’s file. They wouldn’t have time to look at it until lunch, but Wallace was glad he would have a chance to look over the file without Logan. Not that he had anything to hide, particularly, but he’d feel better doing this under Veronica’s nose if he had control of the situation.

********

Logan watched as Veronica tore into some tiny freshman; he was even smaller than Veronica. _I guess that’s one thing off her plate._ He was glad to see Wallace backing Veronica up, though she’d deny the need. _If only she’d let me help._ Wallace met Logan’s eye and held up a manila file folder. Logan nodded his understanding and headed to class. They’d meet up at lunch, when they both had a minute away from Veronica. Her date with Troy was tonight and Logan hoped to cut the relationship off before it got to the date stage. The less attached Veronica was to Troy, the better. _For her, of course._ Lunch couldn’t come quick enough.

Duncan slid into the desk next to Logan, giving him a tight smile before focusing on the lesson. When the teacher had the class break into groups, Duncan slid his desk over.

“You can take the odd numbered questions.”

Logan scoffed. “I thought the deal was I’m the hot one and you’re the brains. Works much better for me if you do the work and I just sit here looking pretty.”

Duncan rolled his eyes, laughing. “So… I talked to Troy last night,” he whispered conspiratorially.

Logan leaned in. “Yeah?”

“He was kind of weird about it? Maybe? But he said he transferred a lot because his dad’s job. They moved where work told them to go. He seemed shifty, maybe. I don’t know for sure.”

“Well, I may have access to his school records, so we can see if that’s true.”

Duncan stared at him. “You what?”

“Maybe. I’ll update you after lunch.”

“You can’t have his record,” Duncan sounded panicky and Logan shot him a quieting look.

“Chill, dude.” Logan punched his arm lightly. “It’s just stupid school records.”

“How did you even get them? Those are private!”

“Woah, for real. Calm down. You’re acting like I robbed a bank or something.” Duncan’s breath came in short bursts. “Dude, seriously. You need me to get you a paper bag or something? Duncan!” He shook Duncan’s shoulder, trying to stay discreet while snapping Duncan out of whatever this was. Duncan’s eyes snapped up to Logan and his breathing evened out. “What the _fuck_ , DK?” he hissed.

“Uh… I. I’ve got…” Duncan stood abruptly and rushed from the classroom.

There was finally a pressing enough issue to take Logan’s mind off Veronica. Most his 09er friends imagined Logan was as narcissistic as they were, but his true friends knew it to be a façade. There used to be three people in the world who could see through that: Lilly, Duncan, and Veronica. Now he wasn’t sure anyone could. But he thought, maybe, he might just get that back. First, he would have to get through the façades Duncan and Veronica had erected the past year. He would have to get everyone back to the openness they used to have; a place where they could all be themselves. _How the fuck do I go about that?_ He’d have to focus on one problem at a time. Since he already had Wallace’s help with Troy, he would focus on Troy first.

Lunch-time finally rolled around, and Logan was practically vibrating with anxiety and impatience. Waiting was never his strong suit. As he was sitting through a rather awkward lunch watching Troy and Veronica flirt, he had an idea. Veronica had to still care about Duncan and that just might be something she would put aside her animosity for. _And a good excuse for one on one time with Veronica._ Spending time just the two of them would be an effective way to work on rebuilding their relationship. Their friendship would take time and effort to repair, but Logan wanted that more than he’d wanted anything in a while. It would be enough just to get back the comfort they used to have.

Wallace gave Logan a nod from across the table, then got up and moved from the table. After a moment, Logan made his excuses and followed. Wallace was waiting for him right through the entrance of the school and they ducked into an empty classroom together.

“You don’t use the regular office, huh?” Logan quipped.

“Naw, man. That one’s all Veronica’s. I prefer not to get labeled a perv.”

“I mean, sure, if you’ve got qualms about that kind of thing.”

Wallace gawked at him. “Who _doesn’t_ have a qualm about that kind of thing?”

“Uh, us enlightened folks.” Wallace huffed with a shake of his head. “So, you got that file, right?”

“Oh yeah.” Wallace pulled a file out of his backpack and handed it over. “I looked over it, and there’s definitely something there.”

Logan scanned the file. It was too thick for someone who had no school issues. He had a few detentions, a suspension, some random teacher reprimands for attitude issues. “There’s nothing here, Wallace. My file is worse than this.”

“That doesn’t mean much. I don’t think Veronica should be dating you either.”

Logan started, lifting his eyes to meet Wallace’s. “I don’t, that’s not –”

“Relax, man. Just making a point.” Logan turned his focus back to the file. “Keep reading, though. It gets good.”

“I don’t know, dude. Duncan said he only changed schools because of his dad, but,” Logan stopped, focusing on the next few lines. “Expelled? Twice? Why?” Logan flipped through the next couple of pages, seeing nothing to indicate why. “It doesn’t say.”

“Well, that’s the interesting part. Usually, it’s all recorded, but not here. There’s no detail.”

“Is this enough to take to Veronica?”

Wallace hesitated. “Maybe. But he’s been nothing but nice to her. She might be more inclined to believe he changed than to believe your suspicions.”

“What if you took it to her?”

“And tell her what?” Wallace gave him a hard look. “I just happened to spot his file and couldn’t help myself?”

“Yeah,” Logan insisted. “Do that. That sounds perfect.”

“It’s like you don’t know her at all. She’ll press me, you know. And I’ll tell her the truth.”

Logan groaned. “No way you’d keep it between us?” Wallace shook his head. “Fine, we wait. Maybe I can dig something else up…”

“Or, maybe I can.”

Logan raised an eyebrow at him. “You’ll dig into it?”

“I’ve got better resources than you do, at the moment.”

“Ah, you’ve got me there.” Logan snapped his finger at him. “Fine. Do what you can, and I’ll keep looking on my end, too.”

Wallace nodded, and they went their separate ways.

*********

Veronica did not miss Logan following Wallace from the table. She took the chance to get some of her own work done. Weevil was across the yard, hanging with his usual biker crowd. Making her way over into his sight-line, Veronica waited until Weevil looked her direction then crooked her finger at him. He narrowed his eyes but got up from the table. Veronica made her way toward the school and stopped near the entrance, leaning against the wall, and waited for Weevil to catch up with her. He stalked toward her, hesitantly.

“Ya know I ain’t a dog, V. You don’t get to summon me.”

“And yet, here you are.” Veronica waved out her arms out around her.

“What do you want?” Weevil rolled his eyes, arms crossing.

Veronica tapped her toe on the ground and bit her lip, unsure how much to tell him, but she knew she needed his help this time around. _Buck up, Veronica. Do the same thing, expect the same result._ Weevil flapped his hand impatiently. “Here’s the deal: I’m not giving up on the case.” Weevil’s eyebrows shot up and he took a half step back. “So. Uh…”

“Spit it out, V. I ain’t got all day.”

“God, you act like I’m not doing you a favor, here.”

He rolled his head back with a growl. “Fine. Take you sweet time.”

“This, is not easy for me. But certain circumstances have forced me to reconsider some things. So… here it is. I am going to need your help. Like, for real help. I can’t take on the Fitzpatricks by myself.” Weevil opened his mouth and Veronica held up her hand to stop him. “But, we do it _my_ way. You got that?”

Holding up his hands in surrender, Weevil nodded. “Just tell me how high, Veronica, and I’ll jump.”

Veronica nodded, satisfied. “Great. Then what I need is a new way in. My surveillance method didn’t work. I made a mistake, and it almost ended really bad –”

“Almost?” Weevil growled.

Veronica shot him a glare. “As I was saying. I need a new way in. Anyone in your crew you suspect, _at all_. You understand me?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“And I need to know if you told anyone at _all_ about me helping you.” Weevil shifted his feet and avoided Veronica’s eyes. “So, I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Look,” Weevil hedged. “I told Felix. But no way he snitched. No way he’s in league with the Fitzpatricks. He hates them more than I do; they killed his brother.”

“Anyway he told someone else?”

“No way.”

“Well it got out somehow!”

“Or they just made you! You said that yourself!” Weevil exploded. “I know Felix. He’s my blood.”

“Like Chardo?” Veronica knew it was a low blow, but she wasn’t ready to play all her cards just yet. Weevil turned pale, clenching his jaw. “Sorry Weevil, but I need you 100% with me. _One hundred percent_.” She pointed her finger at him, emphasizing her point.

“Fine. I’ll look into it.”

“Get back to me soon, Weevil.”

He shot her a glare and walked off the way he’d come.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter was pretty light on the LoVe interaction, so I provide this offering to make up for it. 3300 glorious words devoted solely to the building of LoVe. Enjoy!! :D

Veronica banged her head against the steering wheel in her car, frustrated with the entire mess that was her date with Troy. She’d flinched away from him when he leaned in to kiss her, and the reason why made her entirely uncomfortable. Through the whole date her mind kept drifting to Logan: what Logan would think of the debacle her last case had been, which dessert he’d get and inevitable surrender to her, or what funny stories he’d regale her with. It was nearly impossible to focus on Troy, and there was no way she could kiss him when she really wanted to kiss Logan. _I do_ not _want to kiss Logan! …why do I want to kiss Logan??_ Her cell phone buzzing startled her from her musings. Logan. Leaning her head back in frustration, she debated denying the call, seriously wanted to considering the last two hours she’d spent trying not to think of Logan. He hadn’t called her in over a year, though, and her damn curiosity couldn’t take not knowing exactly what was so important.

“Logan.” She tried to keep her voice more chipper than she felt.

“Hey, you okay?” Not chipper enough, I guess.

“Yeah, sorry. Just got a lot on my mind. What’s up?”

“It’s nothing, really. I wanted to check in, see if you’re doing alright.”

For a moment, she was speechless. _He’s really just calling to check in? Does that make me the thing that’s important enough to break the yearlong phone silence?_ Veronica wasn’t sure if she was reading in to the situation, but the thought that she was still important enough for Logan to call and check in made her feel a little giddy. She blamed the giddiness for why she debated telling him everything, all the things she thought about during her date with Troy. She could see herself telling him, lightening the load a little bit, but she couldn’t bring herself to be so vulnerable until she had all the facts. _Ah, but I do have a hole free story I_ can _share._

“Well, I tied up a case today!”

“Really? Do you… uhm, do you wanna tell me about it?”

“I was thinking I might.”

“I can come to your place,” his voice was quiet, and more hesitant than Veronica had ever heard him.

“Oh, uh… sure. I’ve. I’m not there right now.”

“Oh yeah, your big date. We can talk later, sorry”

“No, no,” Veronica was quick to protest. _Too quick._ “He just left. I was headed home alone anyway.” _Why’d I have to throw that in?_

“Okay,” he was hesitant again. “As long as I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Nope, nothing to interrupt.” _God, could I get any lamer?_

“Good. …So, I’ll see you at your place?”

“Yeah, yup. Thanks!” _Oh my god, just stop talking._

“Yup.”

Veronica hung up the phone with a groan, resuming banging her head against the steering wheel. _God, what is wrong with me? Zero interest in Troy, an actual nice guy. But Logan calls me, so I turn into some stereotypical schoolgirl with a crush? Ugh._ She pulled herself together enough to drive home, but half prayed the whole way home Logan would decide not to come. The embarrassment she felt at her behavior was stark. _He asked to come_ , she reminded herself. _It was his idea. I have nothing to be embarrassed about._ She could almost believe it.

Her dad was sitting on the couch, flipping absently through channels, when she walked in the door. He gave her a soft smile.

“You’re home early. Date not go so well?”

“Uh, it was fine. But, uhm… Logan’s coming over.”

“Fine dates don’t usually end up with you going home with another man.”

“Ugh, dad. Stop.” She closed the door and settled next to him on the couch. “He called me after, wanted to check in. He’s gotten… protective since, well you know. And we just decided it’d be easier to talk if he came over here. So. Don’t be weird.”

“Weird? I’m cool,” he protested. “I’m the cool guy dad. Ain’t nobody cooler than me.”

“See, this is what I mean.” She gestured toward him in explanation. “Weird.”

“Ah, fine, fine. I’ll sequester myself in my room. Good enough?”

“You don’t have leave,” Veronica objected.

“Not leaving, strategically retreating.” He winked at her with a nudge. “Hey, it’s been a while since we had a daddy/daughter check-in. Are you doing okay? How’s your head?”

“I’m fine, dad. Headaches are mostly gone, nothing else hurts. Honestly, I’m basically back to normal.”

He gave her his best skeptical face, but a soft knock on the door rescued her from further questions. With a chuckle and a wave, her dad made his way from the room. Veronica rolled her eyes and answered the door, ushering Logan into the apartment. She set back on the couch and offered Logan the spot next to her. He ended sitting close enough their thighs touched and Veronica’s mind flashed to her recent and reoccurring Logan-featured dreams. She shifted away uncomfortable, entirely unprepared for the electric shock their contact caused. His lips pulled down at the corners, moving to the far end of the couch. _God, this is so frustrating._ Veronica wanted to get back to a comfortable place with Logan, but it was hard enough to trust him as a friend without her subconscious complicating matters. She darted her eyes around, unsure where to focus or how to ease the tension in the room. Logan, mercifully, broke the silence.

“So, you said something about a case. I came expecting to be entertained, you know.”

Veronica was grateful for the reprieve from her thoughts. “Oh, yeah! You sure? It’s not actually that entertaining.”

“God, would you spit it out. I’m on the edge of my seat, here.”

Veronica rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms playfully. “Go ahead, be patronizing. Maybe I won’t tell you.”

“Hold on, that’s false advertising.” Logan leaned toward her, eyes flashing. “I drove all the way out here.”

“Nope, you missed your shot.” She turned her knees toward him, smirking.

Veronica’s mind took that moment to remind her how affectionate Logan always was when they were younger. Almost unconsciously, she moved closer to him bumping him with her elbow. He reciprocated by knocking his leg against her, sending warm tingles throughout her body. Rather than moving away, like she was so used to doing, she leaned into it.

“Well, I expect a refund then.” He rocked closer, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Sorry, no refunds. That was expressly outlined in the contract.”

“Hmm, I guess I’ll have to be compensated another way.”

Logan stared at her, eyes dark. Veronica swallowed drily, unable to look away. _Is he going to kiss me? He’s going to kiss me._ She was pretty sure she'd kiss him back. Then his hands flashed to her sides and he began to tickle her.

“Logan!” she squealed. She pushed at his hands, unable to get him to budge. She jerked forward, attempting to free herself. “Sto, oh… ow.”

Logan jerked his hands back as if burned. She cradled her head and closed her eyes against the shooting pain the jerky movements caused.

“Oh, god Veronica. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think.”

She felt him jump up from the couch and heard him start pacing around as her dad rushed to the room.

“Veronica?” her dad slid next to her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her. “Veronica, honey?”

“Sheriff Mars, I’m so, god, I’m sorry. I just, I forgot.”

Veronica tried to respond, but she didn’t trust herself not to throw up if she opened her mouth.

“Logan, sit down.”

“It’s fine, dad,” Veronica hissed out. The pain was receding slowly, and she opened her eyes tentatively. “My fault, really.”

“Veronica,” Logan groaned. “Stop. I should’ve realized –”

“It’s okay, Logan. I’m alright.”

“You sure you’re okay, honey?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her head hurt about as bad as it had that first day, but she didn’t want Logan to worry. “Uhm, I might take some medicine though.”

“I’ll get it,” Logan offered. “Uhm, where…?”

“Back in my bathroom.”

“Oka –”

“I’ll get it,” her dad interceded.

He moved off to grab it and Logan took her dad’s spot on the couch, studying Veronica’s face.

“Veronica, I’m so sorry.”

“Seriously, stop. It’s fine.”

“How can I help?”

Veronica paused a moment, knowing what would really help but unsure if she could ask it. She decided she could, since he was offering.

“Can you… would you stay? Until I fall asleep?” Logan’s face was blank, and Veronica felt the need to backtrack immediately. “Sorry, I mean, it just helped last time. But don’t worry, my dad’s here…”

“No, god, of course I will. You sure your dad won’t mind?”

“Just leave the door open, he’ll be fine.”

“See, you say that, but I’m the one that gets the bullet.”

“Promise I’ll defend you.” Veronica winked up at him; Logan rolled his eyes.

“My hero.”

“Got ‘em here, honey. Logan, would you get her some water?”

“Sure.” Logan moved to the kitchen and her dad handed her the pain pills.

“So, dad. Logan’s going to hang out until I fall asleep. We’ll leave the door open, it’s all above board. Promise.”

He gave her a hard look, but she batted her baby blues at him and he softened.

“I’ll just be in here, then. Cleaning my rifle.”

Veronica snorted at Logan as he froze on his way back with the water. At her laugh, he handed over the water. Veronica swallowed down the medication without hesitation this time, passing the glass off to her dad when she finished.

“Well, gents. I think that’s my que.” She held a hand out for Logan to help her up. “Night dad, love you.”

“Love you, sweetheart. And Logan. Don’t forget. I’ll just be sitting out here. With my rifle.”

“Noted.” Logan lifted Veronica from the couch, and she kept hold of his hand as they moved to her room. _What am I doing?_

She sat awkwardly on the edge of her bed and Logan watched her curiously.

“So, where do you want me?”

_On the bed, on the desk, against the wall. Whew, e-brake Veronica._

“Uhm,” she let out dumbly.

“Just, I don’t know what will help the most.” He lifted their clasped hands gently.

“Oh, yeah. Uh.” Veronica moved back on to her bed, breaking their hand contact, and settled into her blankets. “Can you just sit by me?” She patted the bed next to her.

“Uh, under or over the blanket?”

“Either is fine. Whichever way you’re comfortable.”

He slid under the covers with her but kept his distance. Veronica closed the distance and snuggled into his side. _Nothing weird about this. Just friends helping each other._ She relaxed into him, but that made her arms uncomfortable because she didn’t know where to put them. Keeping them down by her sides felt awkward; tucking them under her put them to sleep, and she wasn’t sure where else was safe to put them. After shifting her arms back and forth multiple times she let out a frustrated huff and rolled away. Logan grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back and tucking her lower on his side. Then he pulled her arm over his torso and patted it gently.

“Better?”

She didn’t respond because she was already drifting off to sleep.

*********

Logan waited until Veronica’s breathing deepened to signify she was sleeping. He shifted out from under her and tucked the blanket tightly around her. She looked more peaceful than she had last time he’d seen her sleeping. All the hard edges softened: her hair curled rather than spiked, her clothes flowed rather than protected, and her arms draped around her openly rather than crossing her defensively. He had the sudden urge to smooth the worry lines lingering on her forehead, but instead stuffed his hands in his back pocket and stepped back from the bed.

“She asleep?” The sheriff was standing in the doorway, arms crossed.

“Yeah.” Logan backed from the room and followed the sheriff into his living area. He stood in the middle of the room, shuffling his feet.

“So, uh. I’m going to go.”

“Wait a second, Logan. I think you and I should have a quick talk.”

“Uh, okay.” He pulled at the ends of his sleeves, darting his eyes around the room. “What’s up Sheriff?”

The Sheriff shook his head slightly, then stepped toward Logan putting a hand on his shoulder. “Well, for starters, call me Mr. Mars. I haven’t been the sheriff in over a year.”

“Okay.”

“And I want to know, is there something going on between the two of you I should know about?” Mr. Mars resumed his interrogator stance, arms folded across his chest.

“Uhm, no? I… uhm. I think we’re just friends?”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“Well, to be honest, I have a hard time figuring her out. One day she’s friendly, one day she won’t hardly look at me.”

“That’s my girl.”

“If _you_ knew anything about where she’s at…”

“I’m am not getting in the middle of this. You kids have a lot of issues to work out, so maybe do that before you try for anything other than friendship.”

“Yeah, uh, thanks. Friendship was kind of my goal.”

“Glad to hear it. Veronica could use more friends.”

Logan looked down, face flushing with color. He knew it was his fault Veronica lost her friends, and he had no idea how he would ever make that up to her. It was surprising Mr. Mars even let him in their apartment. _Hell, it’s surprising_ Veronica _lets me in._ There were a lot of things about his current situation with Veronica that didn’t make logical sense, but he was grateful for it anyway.

“Anyway.” Mr. Mars interrupted his train of thought. “I appreciate you looking out for her now.”

“Yeah.”

He clapped Logan on the shoulder. “It’s getting late, Logan. Why don’t you head home?”

“Yeah, uh. Thanks, Sher… I mean, Mr. Mars. I’ll see you later.”

Logan nodded in parting and went home.

He woke early in the morning, excited for a chance to spend more time with Veronica. He felt they made real progress the night before and he wanted to see where that led. He was halfway to his car, book bag in hand, before he realized it was Saturday. _Well, fuck._ Every ounce of spring dropped from his step and he kicked himself mentally for not realizing it sooner. Usually, he could tell you down to the second how long it was until the weekend, but this week threw him off his normal routine. If he was being honest with himself, he stopped counting down to the weekend the minute Veronica became a fixture in his life again. Weekends meant he didn’t have a good excuse to see her. He slumped against the side of the house and dropped his bad to the ground, trying to come up with a believable reason to call her at 7 in the morning. Nothing sprang to mind.

_I used up the “just checking on you” excuse to spy on her date. I don’t think she’ll buy that again._ Calling Veronica last night was a momentary bout of insanity cleverly disguised as friendly concern. He’d pretended he hadn’t realized she was on a date, and she seemed to buy his excuse. The last thing he expected to come of his snooping was a late-night trip to her apartment. And that wasn’t touching the way the trip ended. _Which reminds me, I never did get that story._ Logan broke into a grin. I’ve just found my plausible excuse. He picked his bag from the ground and decided to play some video games until it was acceptably late enough in the day to give someone a phone call.

Notoriously impatient, Logan only made it to 8:00 before breaking down and calling Veronica.

“Hullo?” Her voice was groggy and full of sleep. He felt bad almost immediately.

“Uh, hey Veronica.” His guilt put him off kilter. The conversation was quickly diverting from the track he intended. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I’ll call you later.”

He moved to hang up as Veronica’s voice came through the phone.

“No. Wait. I’m already up now, least you could do is tell me why I've just been woken up.”

Guilt put him at a disadvantage, though he should have expected her to still be sleeping. Waking her made him feel he needed a real good reason to be calling, and he wasn’t sure “you owe me a story” cut it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to come up with a better excuse.

“Well,” _buck up, dude. You can’t make it worse now._ He decided to go for broke. “I was promised a story yesterday. A very entertaining one, at that, and I left disappointed.” Veronica’s soft chuckle put him at ease. “I think I deserve another chance to get that story out of you. Maybe over breakfast?”

“If I recall correctly, it was your careless behavior which deprived you of the story.”

He could hear the laughter in her voice, which took the sting out of her words. “What do you think the breakfast is for? Otherwise you’d be responsible for the food.”

“Hmm, would this breakfast include bacon?”

“You can’t call it breakfast if it doesn’t include bacon. You should know that better than anyone.”

“I had to make sure you didn’t lower your standards for breakfast food the same time you lowered your standards for friends.”

“Ouch, low blow, Veronica. Food is much more important than the company we keep.”

“Touché.”

Logan didn’t miss the fact that Veronica had not agreed to breakfast. _But she also hasn’t said no._

“So, what do you say? I buy you a huge stack of pancakes to make up for causing you to get a migraine and you can tell me that story I drove all the way to your house to hear?”

He was proud his voice kept the aloof, jovial tone of their earlier banter.

“Uhm…”

The clear hesitation in her voice made his guts clench uncomfortably. _Relax. You’ve been nice for 3 whole days. Give her some time._ The last thing he wanted to do was give her time, time meant she could change her mind and go back to warring with him. But he restrained himself, with difficulty, and waited for Veronica to respond.

“Yeah, okay. But I want, like, the biggest pile of pancakes. It was a massive headache, after all.”

Logan laughed long and light, truly excited for the first time in a long time. “Pick you up in 30 minutes?”

“Um, you may end up waiting a minute once you get here. I know I said I’m up, but I have yet to roll out of bed.”

“Take all the time you need.”

Now that she’d agreed to breakfast, Logan lost the desire to snark at her. Their battle of wits was fun, but he felt it necessary to be serious with her and make sure she understood he would give her whatever she needed. Veronica’s subsequent silence told him she was taken off guard by his sincerity.

“I just mean you don’t have to rush on my account,” he tried to bring levity back to the conversation, which still emphasizing his flexibility. “I’m used to waiting on beautiful women.”

“Awe, you think I’m beautiful?”

“Always have.” _Well. I need to shut my damn mouth before I scare her off for good._ She was silent again. “So,” he cleared his throat. “See you in half an hour?”

“Yeah,” her response was barely audible.

Logan didn’t give her the chance to change her mind and hung up the phone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this update is WAY overdue and I am SO SO sorry! I really hope the wait was worth it. I present: BREAKFAST! All 6300 words of it. :D

Logan paced nervously outside Veronica’s apartment. He’d already knocked, and it was taking Veronica longer expected for her to answer the door. _Maybe breakfast wasn’t a great idea._ The door swung open as he lifted his hand to knock again. Veronica stepped out of the apartment, locking up behind her, and turned toward Logan with a shy expression. There was a weird energy in the air which set Logan on edge. Veronica kept her distance from him, back brushing against the side of the apartment complex almost as if she were avoiding any contact. The tension threw him off, and he let the silence get uncomfortable.

“I think I was promised pancakes?”

 _At least she seems interested._ “Oh, yeah. Sorry. You ready?”

“Naw, I just came out here to tell you I need another 15 minutes.” She gave him her classic head tilt, easing the tensions enough for Logan to relax. “Shall we go?”

Logan motioned for Veronica to walk ahead of him as they made their way to his car. He planned to open the door for her, but she was too fast; her door was open, and she was in the car before he reached the edge of the sidewalk. _Probably good. Opening the door for her might have been excessive for apology pancakes…_ He jumped in on the driver’s side and tried to determine the best way to start up the conversation. _Do I bring up the case? Or should I save that for the breakfast? Or maybe ease in with the case and then bring up being worried about DK? Rebuilding a friendship shouldn’t be so difficult._ Although, he’d never had to rebuild a friendship before; he’d never cared enough to, which left him without a good comparison point. Glancing at Veronica, he realized she had her fists clenched and her jaw was tight. _She looks as uncomfortable as I feel. Great job. You’ve successfully made it awkward. Bang up start to the friendship rebuilding._

“So… what do you have planned for the rest of the day?”

“Hmm?” Veronica seemed dazed as her attention pulled back to Logan.

“I just asked if you have plans later today.”

“Oh. Nothing much.”

“Smooth, Veronica. Nice and vague.”

“Well, what about you, Logan?” Her response had a sharp edge. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to proceed or what caused her to respond with such a tone.

“Uhm, I don’t really have anything going on.”

“No surfing? No hot dates?”

“Not unless you’re volunteering.”

“Uh, I don’t think –”

“I’m joking, Veronica.”

Her tightly balled fists relaxed against her thighs and her lips quirked up at the end, visibly relaxing. Their conversation flowed much more easily until they reached the restaurant.

Logan knew two things for sure: exactly what Veronica would order and that she would be hungry this late in the morning. Since he honestly did believe he owed her, he called ahead to the restaurant and placed their order. _Thank god the Echolls name is good for something._ They got their food almost as soon as they were seated. Veronica gave Logan a look which mix somewhere between quizzical, exasperated, and admiring. He smiled with a shrug and dug in to his own pancake stack, ignoring the implications behind her expression. Shaking her head, but mercifully offering no protest, Veronica followed suit.

“So, will I ever hear about this case your wrapped up?” Logan dipped a piece of bacon in some syrup and looked over the table at Veronica, taking a bite.

Veronica fumbled around the pancake in her mouth, swallowing hard. “Oh, yeah.” She reached for her glass of water and swigged some down before continuing. “There’s this kid, a freshman, and he wanted me to find his dad, right?” Logan nodded, encouraging. “Well I spent all this time with Wallace mailing out letters to this deadbeat – his name is John Smith, by the way. Can you believe it? The kid wanted me to find a guy named _John Smith._ Do you have any idea how many John Smiths there are? Over 100, just around here – anyway.” Veronica stabbed her fork into a pancake, looking down as she did so. “As you know, I’m familiar with the deadbeat type,” she forced out, voice angry. “I don’t even think this guy is worth the trouble, but Justin, the kid, insists he just wants to find his dad. Gives me zero real leads. It was a mess.”

She grimaced, dropping her fork with a clatter. “But I committed.” She rubbed her temples. “So, Wallace and I spend all this time mailing out letters to _every single John Smith in the area._ $150 in postage!” She crossed her arms with a huff. “Then, Wallace gets this kids file –” A hand flew to her mouth and her eyes grew wide. “Oh my god, I did not just tell you that.” She reached out and gasped Logan’s arm. “He could get in so much trouble, Logan, you have to promise you won’t say a word.”

Logan was taken aback by Veronica’s intensity but noted with some satisfaction that her regret for telling seemed to be more about Wallace than himself. _She told me a secret. Maybe by accident, but she still did._ Forcing back a victorious grin, he covered her hand with his own and leaned forward slightly.

“Don’t worry, Veronica,” he offered with a laugh. “I may be many things, but I’ve never been a snitch.” He winked but pat her hand in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. “Plus, Wallace and I are…” he hesitated, _how do I explain what we are without giving away our investigation into Troy?_ “Well, we’ve come to an understanding, I guess you could say.”

The look in Veronica’s eye told Logan he would be hearing about this later, but he was determined to get the rest of her story first.

“He’ll never know you told, promise.”

The stiffness in her shoulders relaxed and she squeezed his arm, gently removing her hand. She picked up her fork and refocused on her plate, taking another bit of pancake.

“Wallace got the file…” Logan prompted, with a wave of his hand.

“Mmm.” She nodded and finished her bite with a gulp of water. “Yeah and get this: the kids dad _died_. When he was in _kindergarten_!” The last sentence was a barely contained yell.

“He asked you to find his dad, but his dad was dead? Did he know his dad was dead?” he asked, genuinely interested in the case.

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “He knew the whole time! This little weasel wasted my time, my money. God, I was so mad.”

_I see now why she railed the kid in the hallway. He really pissed her off. She’s still mad._

“Was?” Logan quirked an eyebrow at her, amused.

“Okay, I might still be a little upset.”

“A little?” He cracked his lips into a wide grin, purposefully provoking her. She reached across the table and pushed his shoulder. “Hey now, you’re just proving my point.”

“Well I mean, come on! Like I don’t have a thousand other things to worry about. And this little punk just wastes my time for no reason?”

His laugh was full now. _I can’t believe Veronica, queen of ferreting out secrets, doesn’t know what’s going on here._

“What?” Her eyebrows furrowed, and her lips tipped down at the ends which only made Logan laugh harder. “What?” She insisted more emphatically.

“You really don’t know why he wanted you to ‘solve a case’ for him?” He emphasized with air quotes.

“He’s a ridiculous time waster?”

“Not even close.”

“His purpose in life is to irritate me?”

“Getting closer.”

“He’s a terrible gremlin the ghosts of my haunted past sent to torture me, so I can never find peace or true happiness in my life?”

“Somehow both closer and farther away,” Logan snickered.

Veronica linked her fingers and rested her chin on her hands. “Okay, I give. Explain it to me.”

“Someone,” Logan leaned in, conspiratorially, “has a crush.”

“What?” She shot straight up. “No way.” He nodded, smiling wide. “Come on, he’s like… a baby.”

“Babies can have crushes,” he countered.

“They cannot!”

“Babies that kid’s age can. I was ages younger than him when I got my first crush.”

“Oh my god, you’re the worst.” She dropped her head to her hands.

“What? It’s not my fault he got a crush. Really, you only have yourself to blame.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said you should blame yourself.”

“Why? What did I do?”

Logan gestured towards her. “All that! You can’t prance around in miniskirts, combat boots, and ‘fight me’ written all over your face and be surprised when you start getting fanboys.” He crossed his arms, giving her a pointed look. “You know how guys are with female superheroes. There is no part of your ensemble that doesn’t say ‘I’m tough, be terrified of me’, and that is always incredibly hot.”

Logan realized what he said when Veronica stared at him, eyes wide. A memory of their last Homecoming flashed through his mind. He rubbed the back of his neck, anxiety fluttering through him. _I bet that look means she remembers, too. I don’t think our friendship is quite ready for that kind of admission._

“What I mean is, kids like him always find that look hot,” he backtracked. “You know, the guys who have comic book fueled fantasies about what women should be?”

She hadn’t stopped staring. _Fuck. Ten minutes in and I already ruined it._ He stabbed awkwardly at the pancakes, giving himself somewhere to look that wasn’t Veronica’s obviously unhappy face. _Gotta fix this… fuck._ He glanced up, noticing she was chewing slowly on another bite. _Avoidance and distraction… I can work with that._ Cutting out his own bite, he searched for some way to get back to their previous banter.

“If he had a crush,” Veronica broke the silence, “why would he send me after his dead dad?” _Thank god. She’s letting it slide._ “I mean, he knows my dad is a PI. He knows I work with him. Did he just assume I’m terrible at my job and would never find out?”

Logan refocused on her, studying her face to gauge her motivation _. She’s legitimately confused. I think she is genuinely asking me my opinion on this._ “Well, he probably underestimated you.” Her eyes narrowed, opening her mouth to respond, but he cut her off. “I mean, I’m sure he knew you’d figure it out eventually, but he probably has no idea what actually goes in to detective work. So, in his mind, he gave you an impossible task which would give him lots of time with you. Misguided, but not impossible to understand.”

She crossed her arms, leaning back in the booth. “That’s stupid. It took me less than 24 hours to figure out his dad was dead.”

“Like I said, he completely underestimated you.”

“Ugh,” Veronica grumbled.

“He’s an idiot.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Well come on. Obviously, the best way to spend time with you is make some excuse to owe you a meal.”

Veronica scoffed, lips twitching in an almost-smile. “That’s why you gave me a migraine? To spend time with me?”

“Nothing else was working.” Logan made his face as nonchalant as possible, but his stomach was in knots. _Dangerous territory. Step carefully._ He fidgeted with his fork, dragging a bit of pancake around on his plate. “Maybe drastic, but I was running out of cards to play.”

“You could be a normal person and just have invited me out for pancakes.”

Logan’s mind went blank. _I could’ve… what?_ “Uh,” he cleared his throat, giving himself a moment to regroup. “You know me, Veronica. Normal is predictable, predictable is boring, and boring hurts my carefully crafted image.”

“Oh, I know all about your carefully crafted image.”

Logan frowned. _What’s that mean?_ “You do, huh?” _What, exactly, does she think she knows about me?_

“I’ve known you since we were twelve, Logan. Of course, I know all about your image.” She propped her elbows on the table, eyes sparkling. Logan scrunched up his face and tilted his head. “You’re a master of misdirection.” _Excuse me?_ “You put on a show, recently it’s been the psychotic jackass show, to keep people from knowing just what a big ol’ teddy bear you are.”

“I am not a teddy bear.”

“Marshmallow?”

“Ugh, definitely not.”

“Hm.” Veronica shifted back, face falling. _What’s that about?_ “So, what are you hiding then?”

“A fragile heart?” “

Come on, Logan. Be serious a second.”

 _I was..._  “I’ll tell you what.” He crooked his finger, leaning in. Veronica matched his pose. “I’ll trade you a secret for a secret. I’ll tell you what I’m hiding if you promise me a truth in return.”

Veronica’s eyes narrowed, and she poked a bit at the remains of her pancake. After a moment, she scrunched up her nose and let out a deep breath.

“Fine, okay.” Logan rubbed his hands together, face mischievous. “Don’t get too excited. I’ve got a condition.”

“Of course, you do.” His eyes hadn’t lost their twinkle. “Condition away.”

“I get veto power over the truth.”

“Total veto power doesn’t seem fair. How about you get one veto?”

“No way. You’ll just waste a question and ask me something worse next.”

“Fair,” he conceded. “How about this: I give you three options and you pick one of the three?”

“What if I don’t like any of the questions?”

“Well maybe I don’t like yours, but I said I’d answer it. It’s about trust. And, you know, just a touch bit of emotional distress.”

Veronica laughed, light and easy. _Okay, maybe she’s on board._

“Okay, Logan. Three questions and I’ll pick one of them.”

“Okay, give me a minute. I’ve got to make all three good ones. ‘What are you hiding’ level good.”

“Take your time,” Veronica said with a wink.

 _I’ve got a chance to get real answers._ He tapped his fork against his plate, deliberating. _She won’t answer any questions about getting beat up, but I could use that as a throw away question potentially. I could ask her about why she keeps going all hot-cold on me; she might actually answer that one. Depending on what it is. Veronica was staring at him expectantly. Gotta think of something good. Okay, three questions. What happened the night she called me… oh! I could ask how her date went! Not too serious, but I could get her perspective on Troy. So, question two about the date. And question three… about her going hot-cold, or about Weevil maybe? She seemed pretty against telling me anything about Weevil before..._

“Okay, Veronica. Here’s the three questions: What happened the night you called me?” She physically flinched back away from him. _Not totally unexpected, but that seems a little extreme._ “Question two: How was your date yesterday? Or, question three, why do you keep going from super friendly and open to avoiding even looking at me?”

“Should’ve known you wouldn’t go easy on me.” Veronica rubbed her temples, giving Logan a sheepish smile. “Alright, you tell me your thing and I’ll have figured out which question I’m answering.”

“But you will answer one?” “I said I would, didn’t I?” She frowned at him.

“Alright, alright. Sorry. What am I answering? Oh, right. What am I hiding.” _How honest do I want to get here?_ He took a breath and started from the beginning. “My dad… has never been particularly loving. And emotions, or caring, never seemed to help anything. Sometimes made it worse, actually. I learned pretty early on not to show my hand. And then, with Lilly…” Logan picked at the edge of the table, stumbling a bit over how to proceed.

“I… god, I loved her. But you know how she was: full of life but never one to get too attached.” He tapped his fist on the table, glancing up at Veronica. Her eyes were soft and wide, and she leaned toward him with her arms half extended across the table. “Honestly, you and Duncan were the only ones who ever seemed to want more than the Logan Echolls TV personality. To answer your question, I guess what I’m hiding is myself. … Good enough?”

“Uh,” Veronica cleared her throat, tapping her hands on the table and tilting back. “Yeah, Logan. That was… more than I expected.”

“Your turn.”

“Uhm, yeah. So. All your questions were terrible, and you’ve really put me on the spot by being ridiculously honest.” Her eyes flit around the room, fidgeting with her fingers. She interlocked and released them, biting her lip and rocking her head back and forth for a moment. “It’s only fair I do the same, so… I was working on a case and the people I was tailing noticed me.”

_What? Is she telling me about that night? God, what happened on her date??_

“They, uhm, noticed me taking pictures…” her voice was soft. “So,” she sighed. “I tried to drive away but… but my car wouldn’t start. One of the guys, he, uh,” she cleared her throat again. “He broke my window. I hit him with my tazer and got out the other side of my car. Ran down an alley and hid.” Logan clenched his fists under the table, jaw tightening. _Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck._ “I, I thought… well I tried to call Weevil to come help me, but… one of the guys found me…” _God, I don’t want to hear this._ “He, uhm, well… He… so he grabbed me, and I tried to get away and…” _I don’t want to hear this, god. Fuck._ “Well, you know.”

Logan took steadying breaths, grinding his teeth. _I asked. And she told me. I’ve got to calm down._ He rubbed his hands on his thighs and willed his heartbeat to slow. Veronica was popping her mouth open and closed, so Logan focused on himself to give her time to form her thoughts. _She’s fine. Veronica is fine; it’s over._ The thumping of his pulse quieted, and Veronica spoke again.

“They, god I haven’t told anyone this… uhm. The guy who… did this,” she gestured to her face, “he, uh, he knew my name. …And he stole my camera! God, that’s going to cost so much to replace.” She crossed her arms on the table and dropped her head.

“Oh, I knew that. I heard him.” Logan latched to the first bit of the conversation that he’s already had time to process, and therefore didn’t send his blood boiling.

“I forgot I called you.” She lifted her head again. “Must have done it when I tried to call Weevil…”

“Why were you calling Weevil?”

She looked at him narrowly. “That’s an extra question. Does that mean I get another one?”

Logan smiled softly. “If you want.” _I’m going to replace her camera. Who would know the best camera for what she needs?_ _Other than Veronica…_

“How about we postpone our little truth for truth game for another day?” She shoveled another bite of pancake in her mouth.

“Sure,” he accepted with a chuckle. “If we compromise and do truth or dare next time. It’s way more fun.”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Yeah, we’ll see.”

*********

 _Well, this has been almost normal…_ Veronica reveled in the comfortable silence she and Logan had lapsed into while they finished their breakfasts. _I still can’t believe he opened up about Lilly. That was… unexpected._ She ran a bite of bacon through some syrup. _And he was suspiciously cool about the marks knowing who I am._

“Not to dwell on uncomfortable topics, but you were a lot calmer about… my truth than I expected you to be.”

Logan kept his eyes on his plate, poking his fork around before answering. “I’ve had a few days to… temper my initial reaction. And honestly, I feel better knowing at least a bit about what happened.”

“If we’re being all _honest_ today, it actually was kind of nice to talk to someone about it.”

“Oh.” He gave her a puzzled look. “I assumed you did talk to someone. Like the police, or your dad… or your new BFF…” he drew out the letters in bff longer than necessary, lacing them with sarcasm.

Veronica frowned at his bitter tone, folding her arms across her chest. “I told everyone everything I needed to.”

“Oh, really?”

“Now I’m regretting telling _you_ anything.”

“Look,” he gritted through his teeth. Then he exhaled long and splayed his fingers on the table. “Look. You don’t need to get defensive and sarcastic. I’m not going to go around spilling your secrets.” Drumming his fingers on the table, he looked up piercingly. “But I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t bother me. From what I can tell, you know exactly who did that to you and you’ve elected to let them get away with it. That’s a problem for me. It’s your choice to make, but it shouldn’t be surprising I’m unhappy with letting the guys who’ve already shown they don’t care if they hurt you run around unchecked.”

 _He has no right to say any of this. No interest other than torturing me for a year, and now all the sudden he gets to pass judgement on my life? I don’t think so._ She turned her face away, not even in the mood for pancakes anymore.

“It’s not your problem, Logan. You’ve got no right to an opinion on the subject.”

“So, we aren’t friends, then?”

“I don’t know what we are!” Veronica lost her temper. “I think I’d like to go home, now.”

A soft growl from Logan caused her to look up. He was scowling at her, hands balled into fists. _What new insult is he arming this time?_ She waited, gritting her teeth against every insult with which she wanted to preemptively strike.

“If you want to go, Veronica, I’ll take you.” She did not expect his soft tone. All her prepared darts fell from her mind. _When did Logan get reasonable?_ “But I think we are friends. Or at least I’m trying to be. So, I guess the rest is up to you.” He looked at her, fidgeting with the ends of his sleeves. “Let me know.”

 _God, what do I want to do? I can’t believe I even agreed to come…_ She dropped her head to the table, groaning.

“Well that’s encouraging.”

“No comments from the peanut gallery,” she shot back. Peaking up at him, he gave her a small smile. “Okay. Okay, I want to be your friend, Logan. I do. But, god I don’t know. It’s hard. And, I’m, just not… I don’t know what all I have to give right now.”

“You don’t have to give me anything. God, Veronica. I don’t want anything from you.” His volume was steadily increasing and he was clearly exasperated. “I know that might be hard to believe. But I really just want to be friends.” He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. His next words were much softer in tone. “I just want to be there for you, in any way you’ll let me.”

“I… I don’t really know how to do that… anymore.”

“Well, we used to be friends…”

“Yeah, a long time ago…”

“It wasn’t that long ago.”

“Long enough…”

“Well, maybe, we can try being friends like we used to be?”

“We aren’t those people anymore.”

“Then we start new.”

“Don’t you think we have too much history for that?”

“No, I don’t.”

Veronica was surprised by his vehement response. _We don’t have too much history? Really?_ Disbelief froze any response she may have made in her throat.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he continued. “We have loads of history. But I don’t think it’s too much. It’s only too much if we let it be, ya know? It’s up to us, the both of us, to decide if we can make it work.” _He sounds so sure. Like people are ever so simple._ “However we decide, if we decide, it’s possible.”

“When did you become an optimist?”

“Maybe you’ve inspired me.”

“Can you be serious for like, a second here?”

“I am. I’m a textbook pessimist, but for this… for you… I want to be an optimist.”

Veronica was not comfortable with the butterflies taking flight in her stomach. _He’s talking about a friend relationship, Veronica. Chill out._ Belatedly, she remembered the pancakes sitting in front of her. She poked at the congealing mess for a distraction. _Can I do friendship? What do I want, if not friendship? Definitely not a relationship, right? Wrong. Definitely a relationship. But that’s crazy. So, friendship. I can do friendship._

“Yeah, alight. Friends. Whatever that means for us.”

Logan cracked a wide grin. “Okay then, friend: I have a conundrum. You up for it?”

“A conundrum?” She tapped her fingertips together. “My bread and butter. Let’s hear it.”

“I had a weird run in with Duncan…”

 _Duncan?_ Her stomach clenched at the mentioning of her first love. Logan was obviously trying to gauge her reaction, so she hardened her face neutral. _Why would he come to me about Duncan? He’ll have better insight there than I will…_ Apparently assured of Veronica’s willingness to hear him out, Logan continued.

“He’s been… different since Lilly. Almost empty, ya know? Vacant. But recently he’s gotten a bit of his old self back. Less like a zombie.”

Veronica nodded. She’d seen Duncan joking and laughing in the last two days; and Logan was right, it was an improvement.

“So, he’d doing better, right? But then the other day he has something like a panic attack. I can’t get through to him and he just runs from the room, all pale and clammy. It wouldn’t be too concerning, but I saw him do something similar after he… uhm… after he…” He cleared his throat, eyes darting around.

“Logan, whatever it is just say it.”

“…yeah. Well, it was after he broke up with you.”

“Ah.” Veronica tipped the corner of mouth down. “Well you would know more about that than I would. My interactions with Duncan have been limited to my thinking we were a couple and him ignoring me until I got the message that we weren’t.”

“If I knew what was up with that, I would have told you when it happened.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Been long enough for me to get over it, so whatever. I’m sure you didn’t bring this up to rehash my issues of the heart.”

“Ah, no. Yeah, I was hoping you could help me make sure he’s okay.”

“You want me to… what?” She was confused. _Why does he need my help with this?_ “Like, I get what you’re asking, but he actually talks to you. So… what exactly do you think I’m going to be able to do?”

“Whatever his issue is, he won’t talk to me about it. You think I haven’t tried? I’m hoping you can do… whatever it is you do and see if you can find something.”

“What’ll that do? You think knowing is going to help you? Or him? That hasn’t been my experience. People think they want to know, but they never actually do.”

“Don’t you want to know?”

 _D_ _amn him knowing too much about my personal, private life._ “I try not to care too much about Duncan.”

“But you do, right? Care?”

 _Is he really going to make me say it? Fine._ “Of course,…” unsure, then more confidently “Of course, I do. You don’t stop caring about someone who used to be important to you.”

“So, will you help me?”

Veronica’s phone chimed, saving her from having to answer immediately. _Shit. Weevil._ She sent a quick confirmatory message and refocused on her pancakes. Utensils clinking on a plate reminded her Logan asked her a question.

“I’ll help you. If Duncan’s in trouble, I want to help him. So, I’ll see what I can find.”

“Thank you, Veronica. I really appreciate it.”

“Do you have any idea what it is? You don’t think he’s just… upset about Lilly still?”

“I’m not sure he ever processed it, honestly. It could be part of it. But, I don’t know… It’s a gut feeling I guess.”

“I can work with that, I think.”

 _Okay, Duncan… what’s going on with you?_ She thought back to when they were dating but couldn’t think of anything which would point to a current problem. He’d always been respectful, pretty vanilla if she was being honest, and nothing stood out as a potential issue. _Would you have told me, Lilly? If he had a problem would you have told me? He wouldn’t have… but you should’ve. Maybe this has something to do with why he iced me out. At least I have an excuse to dig now._ Considering the best method to find information would be to look at personal, private, and difficult to access medical or psychological records, Veronica hadn’t convinced herself it was worth it before. Now, she had just enough of a reason to get past her hesitation.

“Are you okay, Veronica?”

“Uhm, yeah. Yeah. Just… I guess I have another puzzle now. My mind’s just running through it.”

“Oh, god. I didn’t even think about that. This is not a priority, seriously. Take care of yourself. I know you have so much to do.”

“It’s fine. Really. I’ll do what I can.”

“Appreciate it.” Veronica checked her watch: _half an hour. Gotta finish my pancakes._ She felt Logan staring at her, so she pulled her gaze from her cold breakfast and raised her eyebrows at him. He finally spoke up.

“You have somewhere you need to be?”

 _I do not want to have this fight_. “Uhm, yeah I’ve got some errands I have to run. I don’t have to go yet, but in the next half hour or so.”

“Yeah, okay.” _He almost looks disappointed._ “What errands? Anything I can help with? I’ve got nothing else going on…” _Does he want to spend time with me, or spy on me?_

She tensed up, contemplating the implications of his question, and decided based on the last few days he genuinely wanted to spend time with her. The thought was surprising. _He wants to spend time as friends, which sucks because I want… I want what?_ A slightly hysterical laugh escaped her before she could lock it down. _I have to give him some excuse… quickly._ She’d been silent and crazy far too long already.

“Uh, sorry, no. Personal stuff, you know?”

He looked crestfallen, swallowing hard. “Of course,” his voice sounded forced. _No way he is that disappointed he isn’t running around doing errands with me…_ “I’m sure there’s a party out there somewhere.”

“You’re…” A jumbled mixture of confusing emotions hit her all at once, stealing the words from her mouth. “You want to go to a party?”

“No. I _want_ to help you with your errands.” _He’d rather be with me than at an 09er party?_ Her heart skipped a beat and she had to slam her lips in a hard line so she didn’t break into a massive grin. “But a party will be somewhere to go that’s not home. So…” he shrugged.

 _Don’t get excited. He just wants to be friends. Calm down._ Veronica tapped the table a moment. _Can I really bring him along? Maybe I can adjust my schedule a bit to accommodate an accomplice._ “Okay, I could use a sidekick today. If you promise to hold all your questions until our game of truth or dare.”

He held his hand up, “Scouts honor.”

“You aren’t a scout,” she laughed.

“The sentiment still applies. Hold on a minute, I’ll get the check and you can teach me to be your Starsky.”

“Hold your horses, dude. I’ve still got some food left on my plate.”

Logan’s eyes widened. _I bet he forgot we even had food left to eat._ “Oh, yeah. Right. Sorry.”

She offered a smile, trying to communicate she wasn’t bothered and was mostly joking. Unsure what to say to help him relax, she decided to try for comedy. Reaching across the table, she stole the bite of pancake he was cutting and popped it in her mouth. Logan looked at her, mouth agape. Smiling smugly, she finished off the bite and reached for more.

“Hey!” he protested. “You have a literal plateful right there.”

“Yours taste better.” Veronica shrugged.

Logan pushed his plate to her, snatching hers for himself before she could react. “There,” he said. “Now you can have them all to yourself.”

She was stunned; he had successfully outplayed her. While she wracked her brain for some way to get back at him, she figured she may as well finish the pancakes. They ate in comfortable silence, both trying to maintain some dignity while shoveling the last of the breakfast in their mouths. Veronica’s mind began to wander. _How do I keep Weevil and Logan separate? I’ve got to meet with him. He’s got that list for me. Maybe Logan will wait in the car?_ She immediately dismissed that idea. _Logan is not one to stay sidelined. If I bring him with me, he’ll expect to be in 100%. With whatever we do today, at least._ As much as she was looking forward to a few extra hours with her new-old friend, not a single part of her was ready to let him in on everything. _I don’t even tell my dad everything, and he’s the only one who has earned it. Well, if I won’t be sharing everything I have to decide what I am sharing… and how to make sure only that is on display today._

“Penny for your thoughts?” Logan’s, _well MY_ , plate was emptied of the last of their breakfast.

She realized she’d stopped eating and had been staring at the wall for at least a minute. Rather than responding she folded up and stuffed the last of the pancake into her mouth. Logan scrunched his face at her, obviously frustrated. Snorting at his reaction, Veronica almost choked on the food in her mouth. Logan’s expression went from one of frustration to one of alarm in an instant. He moved to her side of the booth as she reached for her water, but he got to it first and tried to help her drink it. _What is he doing?_ She was still coughing out bits of pancake while fending off Logan’s mothering. _God, I’m not a baby._ Finally getting the water from him, she gulped some down and stopped her coughing. Belatedly, she realized he was drawing slow circles on her back. She leaned into his touch, enjoying the warmth spreading from his contact. Moving his arm up around her shoulders, Logan snuggled closer to her and laid his head on top of hers.

“You okay?” he whispered softly, voice laced with concern.

“I’m fine,” she sighed into him, enjoying the moment but knowing it wouldn’t last. _Friendship cuddling, that’s all this is. Comfort from a friend._

Giving her a squeeze, he shifted away enough to break their contact. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah.” She coughed the last of the food from her throat. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.”

“I’ll get the check.” Logan waved down their waitress and requested their check.

“That reminds me,” she drew Logan’s attention back to her, “how much does it cost to have breakfast made to order before you even get to the restaurant?”

He chuckled, electing to pay the bill instead of answering. _I guess that’s fair. I’ve side-stepped my fair share of questions today._ She followed him from the restaurant, contemplating how many favors he had to trade to arrange their breakfast. _A girl could get used to this._ There weren’t many things Veronica missed about being part of the 09er royalty, but days like this reminded her of the good times. Lilly used her family’s name like an all access pass, and she always brought Veronica along with her. It may not have been the most productive, or fair, but they always came away with a story. _I miss you, Lilly. What would you think of this? Logan and I, doing whatever we are doing?_

She often wondered if she was betraying Lilly with every spark of feeling she felt for Logan but had thus far been unsuccessful in squelching them. With their history as complicated as it was, Veronica surprised herself with the depth and intensity of what she was beginning to feel. There was no comparison point for her; what she felt with Duncan didn’t come close. She didn’t doubt what she felt for Duncan was real, but it was more of a comfortable closeness than the fire she felt with Logan. _Fire? Nice to see I haven’t lost my flair for dramatics…_

“Hey.” Logan placed his hand on her shoulder and she realized they made it back to his car. His eyes bore into her, intense and questioning. “Are you sure you're okay?”

Veronica thought back to the last week. Logan had been a constant fixture since she had her… accident, and it had been more than comforting. _It's been… exciting? Maybe?_ More than anything else it was wonderful, and she didn’t want it to end. _I want him here, with me._

It was a startling revelation, and it put her off-kilter as Logan brushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear, hand lingering on her cheek. She felt safe and protected in a way she hadn't in far too long.

Leaning up, she pressed her lips gently to his for a moment before pulling back and examining his face for a reaction. Surprise was etched in his features, mouth agape.

_Oh god. Oh god, oh god. What have I done?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Now that it is over, I have a question for everyone. Which do you prefer: shorter, more frequent updates or longer chapters but also longer update times? These last couple chapters have taken longer than the week I normally like to take between posts, but have also been longer than what I was posting. I am wondering what everyone prefers! Let me know!! And thank you. :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the long delay. I don't have much free time, but I want to make sure the story is going the right way. That always takes me a bit of time. Anyway, here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it!!

For a moment, the world flashed white. When Logan’s vision returned he was staring at the face of Veronica Mars. Veronica Mars: only a few days ago target of all his vitriol. Veronica Mars: the one he now only wanted to protect. Veronica Mars: the girl who just kissed him. And he hadn’t kissed her back. _Why haven’t I kissed her back?_ He was frozen in place, almost like he was a spectator to the scene rather than actually involved. Try as he might, he couldn’t get his muscles to move. Instead, his eyes darted around her face looking for something. _What am I trying to find?_ It hit him then, the reason he couldn’t move, the reason he hadn’t jumped at the chance to steal as many kisses as Veronica would give him: _she should hate me._ As he stared, confused and motionless, her face began to fall. He saw regret creeping into her eyes, as she shook her head like she was shaking off a dream. _No. No, no, no. I cannot let her regret this._

Having regained control over his body, Logan grabbed Veronica’s arm, stopping her retreat. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against him, dropping his head to meet her lips with his own. The kiss wasn’t his best, or hers either if he had to guess, but it opened something inside him he hadn’t realized had been locked away: desire for Veronica. He must have been young when he first felt the spark, and he must have shied away from it almost as soon as it began because he couldn’t remember when it started or when it stopped. Maybe it had never gone away, maybe he had just learned to live knowing he wanted her, but she was not his to touch. _Not mine to touch…_

Veronica seemed to be as desperate for connection as he was, so he spun her quickly until her back was to his truck and he could mold his form to hers. Heat sparked from where her hands gripped his arms and ran through his body like an electric current. He’d never felt a kiss so intensely. He thought his legs may give out if they stayed this way much longer.

They both seemed to come to some kind of sense at the same time, arms dropping to their sides and eyes wide with surprise. Veronica opened and closed her mouth a couple times before slamming her lips shut and trying to step back from their proximity. Unfortunately, as she was already flush with the side of the truck, all she accomplished was knocking her head into the door and throwing herself off balance. Logan caught her reflexively, and their contact seemed to dispel the awkwardness hanging in the air.

“So… um…” Veronica began.

“Yeah,” Logan breathed out with a soft laugh, placing a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. _Shit, is that okay?_ He pulled back, trying to correct for overstepping. “Oh, sorry. I…”

Veronica responded by throwing her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest. _Well this could be good or bad; honestly it could go either way._ He wrapped his arms around her and was surprised by how comfortable he felt. When he spoke with Sher… _Mr. Mars_ … previously he hadn’t lied; he intended to focus only on making up for everything he’d done for her. The possibility of something more, well it hadn’t occurred to him. Now that he knew it was, that maybe he could have an actual relationship with Veronica, he couldn’t imagine anything more natural. _Unsurprising, really. What does everyone always say about that line between love and hate?_ Absentmindedly, he rubbed his hands up and down her back, unsure of what else to do. Veronica always needed time to sort out her own feelings, and he didn’t want to pressure her. _At least she didn’t take off. I may have deserved it, if she had. But god, am I glad she didn’t._

Veronica pulled back with a heavy sigh, meeting Logan’s questioning eyes with a soft smile. _Should we talk about this? Would she want to? Or would it be pushing it?_ Logan weighed his options, corners of his mouth tipping into a soft frown. Concern flit across her face, and she twirled away from him and the car, grasping her upper right arm tightly with her left hand. _And now I’ve got and ruined it by overthinking._ _Stupid, stupid Logan._

“Hey, are you okay?” He reached toward her, fingers trailing lightly down her arm linking his pinky through hers.

“Yeah. Fine.” She pulled her hand from his and took a step back. “Just got a lot to do today, so we should get on the road.”

_She definitely does not want to talk, then._ He leaned against the side of the truck, pushing himself back to keep his overwhelming urge to be in constant contact with Veronica at bay.

“Okay.” He was torn between really wanting to talk and not wanting to push her away any more than he already had.

“You sure you want to come with?”

“Just try to get rid of me.”

“Wouldn’t if I could.”

Logan beamed his first real smile since their kiss. Veronica returned his smile with equal brilliance. _If only she’d talk to me as easily as she quips._ He pushed his worries to the back of his mind and opened the door for Veronica to get in the car. Dropping her hand from her arm, she slid past Logan and hopped on the seat.

“Where to first?” Logan leaned in the car toward her, barely resisting the strong pull to touch her.

“Uhm, my house, I guess. I’ve got some gear I need to get.”

“Perfect. We’ll start there, then!” He gave her a soft smile and got himself in the car. “Can I ask what’s on the agenda today? As much fun as it is to go in blind, it’d be nice to have some idea of what to expect from the day.”

“Mmm… well, I’ve got to go scouting for a new camera. I can’t exactly replace what I had, but I need something.”

“Are you still working cases with your dad?” Logan kept his eyes on the road, fully aware he was moving into dangerous territory. He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, trying to ignore the rising tension as he waited for Veronica to decide how to respond.

“No…” she started slowly. “He’s still a bit on edge about what happened. Understandably, I guess,” she offered reluctantly, “but I’m hoping he’ll relax soon. He needs help; he can’t work all the cases and track down bail jumpers.”

“I mean, if he says he can handle it…”

“Logan,” her tone was clipped now, and he tightened his grip on the wheel, preparing for an assault. “Look, I don’t expect you to understand, okay? But he can’t do it on his own, and I like the work. I’m good at it, really good at it, and… just don’t be an ass about it, okay? It’s my choice.”

Everything in Logan told him to argue with her until she understood why her dad didn’t want her working cases, until she realized she was more important than whatever stupid petty issues Neptune’s messed up relationships brought her dad’s way. _God she is impossible._ He kept his eyes forward, mouth firmly closed, until none of what he was feeling would spill out.

“Okay,” he finally mustered. “I can’t tell you what to do. But, god Veronica can you at least take back up or something?”

A sharp burst of laughter startled him, diverting his attention from the road. Veronica had her face in her hands, shoulders shaking.

“Sorry, sorry,” she gasped out. “It’s just… my dad said the same thing a bit ago…” she was still composing herself and Logan was entirely confused. “I don’t know why I’m laughing so hard,” she’d stopped the laughter, ghost of a smile still playing on her lips, “my dog, his name is Backup. My dad always used to say that to me when I’d do surveillance on our riskier cases. I, well really it isn’t all that funny. Just, you saying the same thing…” she trailed off, clearly embarrassed by her display of emotion.

Logan couldn’t resist anymore. Veronica had successfully, if unintentionally, broken the tension and he needed to touch her. Squeezing her hand gave him the excuse he needed to rest his hand on her leg, getting a taste of the contact he craved. He could see himself getting entirely wrapped up in Veronica, but he wasn’t sure what she wanted. _I’ll give her everything, if she wants it…_ Being honest, he wanted to. Seeing the kind of girlfriend Veronica was with Duncan, one who gave everything and loved completely, he desperately wanted that. He’d never had that with Lilly, never had that with anyone. He had always tried, too. Always giving everything in relationships and constantly being betrayed, it would be refreshing to be with someone who loved like he did. And he could tell, Veronica was like him. He wanted to be loved so bad it hurt, but he couldn’t put all that on Veronica, not if she didn’t want it.

Veronica linked her fingers through Logan’s, pulling his attention to her. She looked at him questioningly, he shook his head in response.

“Thanks for letting me tag along today. I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself otherwise.”

“Eh, you’re popular. You’d have figured it out.”

They pulled into her apartment complex and Logan instantly missed the contact as he shut off the truck. Running to her side of the car, he caught her as she was jumping from the car and lowered her to the ground. He kept his hands on her waist, holding her in place. Veronica ducked her head, hands flitting nervously on his arms. Logan debated between moving away, moving closer, or trying to get Veronica to talk when his phone went off. Groaning, he spun away from her and checked his phone. _Dick. Of course, it’s Dick. It’s always Dick._

“I’ve got to take this,” he apologized. “Dick will just keep calling until I answer.”

“Go, go.” Veronica waved his worry away. “I’ve got to run inside anyway, so I’ll just meet you back out here in a couple minutes.”

He wanted to stop her, tell her to give him a minute and he’d come up with her, but he decided it would be better to give her a little space. He gave her a soft smile and turned his attention to the continuing and persistent buzzing of his phone.

“What’s up, dude?”

“Logan?”

“Yeah, dude. You called me. You aren’t so drunk you forgot who you dialed, are you?”

“No, man. Saving my blackout for the party tonight. You’re coming, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Logan walked away from his car, trying to put some distance between himself and where Veronica would be returning.

“What the fuck, dude. You’re ditching me? You know Madison is being a colossal bitch this week. I need my wing man.”

“I am not getting mixed up in your shit.” He stopped next to a fence, wrapping his fingers around one of the poles. “Handle Madison yourself.”

“God, what is your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem, Dick. I just don’t want to deal with Madison or any of her bullshit.”

“I’m not asking you to deal with Madison, I’m asking you to start acting like my friend again. What the hell is wrong with you?”

With a sigh, Logan knocked his head into the fencing. He knew Dick wasn’t totally wrong, he hadn’t been much of a friend lately. Between trying to fix things with Veronica and handling his own mess of a life, he hadn’t had much time for Dick or their usual mischief.

“Look, dude. I’m sorry I haven’t been around so much. We should do something tomorrow to keep your mind off Madison. Surfing? I can pick you up first thing, make sure we get the really good waves?”

“I don’t want to go surfing. I want you to have my back.”

“I’ve got plans, Dick.” He punched at the fence, hoping Dick wouldn’t push too hard and just accept what Logan was able to give.

“Oooh, you’ve got a chick! Good. Maybe you’ll stop pining after fucking Mars.”

Anger and anxiety rushed through Logan, warring to be the primary emotion. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the fencing.

“Fucking shit.” Logan had taken too long to respond, and Dick wasn’t always as dumb as he played off. “Please tell me you don’t ‘have plans’ with Veronica Mars.”

“Shut your fucking mouth, Dick. I swear to god if you say one more word about Veronica,” Logan took a deep breath, trying desperately not to lose his cool on one of his few friends. “Veronica is a part of my life, and you are either cool with her or done with me. So make a decision, Dick.”

The line was silent longer than Logan expected, then “You said surfing in the morning?”

Logan let out a sharp breath, anxiety and anger dissipating as fast as they arrived. “Yeah, man. It’s supposed to be a good day for it.”

“I’ll bring the beer.”

“Cool.” Logan relaxed entirely, turning to lean his back against the fence. “And seriously, if Madison gives you any shit just dump her bitchy ass.”

“But the sex is so good!”

“No sex is that good.”

“That’s because anyone will give it up for you. All I get is your leftovers.”

“Gross.”

“At least Madison puts out.”

“Yeah, occasionally. She’s always mad at you about something, and we both know you take care of yourself when that happens.”

“God, you’re such an ass.”

“Just being honest, man. If you were single, you could probably find multiple chicks who’d do it more frequently than Madison. No relationship required.”

“Whatever,” Dick whined. “Girls throw themselves at you.”

“Dude, don’t be such a fucking pessimist. I’ll show you tomorrow. If you’d get your balls back from Madison, you’d find a whole new world opened up.”

“Whatever.”

“It’s up to you, dude. Madison’s a bitch, so if that’s what does it for you… well more power to you.”

“Fuck you.”

“I’ll pick you up early, like 5:30, so don’t drink yourself dead tonight.”

“Seriously, Logan. Fuck you.”

“See you in the morning, Sunshine.”

Logan ended the call and looked back to the truck. Veronica was leaning on the front, watching him. His heart skipped a beat as he made his way toward her.

********

The quick exit Veronica made up to her apartment felt a whole lot like a retreat, but she pushed the feeling away as she let herself into the apartment. Her dad was out, spending the weekend catching up on the cases he hasn’t gotten to during the week. It was frustrating, knowing he needed help but being unable to offer any. Knowing there were at least two bail jumpers he dad hadn’t gone after didn’t help either. He hardly left her side since the attack, and she was starting to go a bit crazy. She needed the distance this weekend was giving her and hoped she could convince her father soon that he both needed and could trust her help. Her plan was to convince him to let her do some very simple filing work, office only. Even if he didn’t want her in the field, she could easily help him out with the office. Hopefully, a step in the door doing office work would get him back to normal. Being banned from the office was driving her crazy.

She shook off the unwelcome thoughts and went to her room, looking for the file she had created for Weevil. Her plan, entirely derailed now, was to meet with Weevil and trade information. He had the list she asked for and she knew he would want to know if she’d found anything more. Unfortunately, being on lock-down was not conducive to detective work. She’d found exactly nothing. But getting the list from Weevil would give her another direction to look, and she had planned to spend a good bit of the day tracking down his leads. After that… well she had been putting off driving to Arizona, but she really wanted to track down her mother before she moved again. Her mother’s license plate stared accusingly from its place on her cork-board, judging her for not prioritizing the first real lead she had to find her mother. The attack had done more than get her off her dad’s cases, it had put her behind on Lilly’s and her mother’s.

Veronica dropped, feeling defeated, to her bed. There was so much already on her plate, so much already she wanted to know. She needed to check something off her list, and she needed to do it soon. She knew Logan agreed to help her out today, and she decided to take full advantage of that. The attack made driving difficult for her, as she was prone to blinding headaches which made it impossible to drive safely. But with Logan’s help… she might just be able to get a few things done today. Determined, she stuffed the file into her bag, grabbed the address off her desk, and made her way back out to Logan’s truck.

Waiting for Logan, who was still very distracted by the phone call, gave Veronica more time to think. She knew she had to cancel with Weevil. Whatever… this… was with Logan would not be concealable from Weevil, and she was not at all ready for anyone to find out. Until she knew just what this was, she did not want anyone to know. Maybe not even Wallace, though she wasn’t sure she could keep it from him. _And dad! What am I going to tell him? Nothing. That’s it. I’m not telling anyone anything. Maybe ever. I’m never talking to anyone ever again. Solid plan._ That didn’t solve her today problem, or any problem for that matter. Going around in circles wasn’t helping, but she just wasn’t sure how much to give how soon. Or even how much she wanted to give. Logan had seemed very interested, invested… _whatever_ , in her… well at least he kissed her back. And while their after “talk” was less a talk and more an awkward hug session, he was still here. He still wanted to spend time with her today, or just tag along… _why does he want to tag along?_

_Why’d he even kiss me back? Was it a convenience thing? Or I just kissed him, and he doesn’t know anything but kissing back? He never made a move, maybe he never would have? I mean, he’s dated since Lilly… so maybe he is over her? Or maybe he isn’t and that’s why he keeps dating terrible people. And with me… maybe I’m some connection to Lilly. Maybe I remind him of what he had with her, and that’s the only reason he kissed me back… God, I have to get out of my head… Maybe this is just fun for him. And that’s okay, right? It’s just fun for me. Fun and free make-out. Hopefully a lot, and often, and always. Ugh._

Glancing over at Logan, thankfully completely engrossed in his phone call, Veronica realized just how much she appreciated having him around. _Ah, fuck. I like being with him? Like, just near him? Isn’t that relationship stuff? I cannot want a_ relationship _with_ Logan Echolls _._ But she had to admit, while making out was a definite bonus, it wasn’t all she wanted from him. It was a very uncomfortable revelation. Her instinct was to squash it down, tell Logan she had to leave, and to spend however long by herself necessary to get rid of the mess of her emotions. The last thing she needed was to feel an attachment to the guy who spent the last year making her absolutely miserable. _Though, this last week… well it hasn’t been miserable._ Not that it mattered, something was happening with Logan and she wasn’t going to stop. She just… wasn’t sure exactly how far she was going to go. Without knowing what he expected from the relationship, or even how much he cared, Veronica refused to get too invested. _Make-out buddies. That’s good enough._

Logan finished his call, moving over to where Veronica was leaning on his car. Unfortunately, they had not worked out the kinks to… whatever they were and not knowing what to expect made her stomach flutter uncomfortably. _What do make-out buddies do? Do they touch, or…?_ Not seeming to suffer from any of the same insecurities, Logan leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her temple next to her cut. His slips scratched against her scab and she flinched back. Logan frowned apologetically, brushing her hair back softly to examine her head.

“Sorry, are you okay?”

“I’m way better, don’t even worry.”

“Hmm.” He kissed her forehead and opened the car door for her. “So, where to?”

“Well, I’ve got a couple things I’d like to do today.” Veronica climbed into the car and turned in the seat to face Logan. He leaned on the door, placing himself between her knees. She shifted forward, enjoying the contact. “If you’re up for it. But it means moving a couple other things around.”

“Oh, I don’t want you to have to do that.” He bumped his hip into her knee, running his hand up her leg. “Promise I won’t interrupt anything; you won’t even know I’m there.”

“I literally don’t think that is possible.” Heat pooled in her cheeks at the admission, but she chose to ignore it and hoped Logan would follow suit.

He watched her with a raised eyebrow, then offered slowly: “… I don’t know whether to be offended or…”

“Eh, take it as a compliment. You’re noticeable.” She leaned back in the seat, studying his face.

“It’d be nice to be less noticeable sometimes.” He’d grown somber, more serious. _And back to serious, right on cue. What’s wrong with a little levity?_ “Blend in, you know?”

“Uhm, yeah. I guess that would be difficult.”

“It’s fine, I’ve gotten used to it, ya know?” He shook his head, looking down at her. “So, you said you have stuff you want to do, how about you tell me what all you want to do, and we can decide together what I can join you for?”

Veronica debated his proposal. She’d had the thought multiple times that telling Logan everything would be a great relief, but what if it backfired? _He’s seemed so sincere today… and the past few days really. What’s your issue Veronica? Give him a chance. What’s the worst that can happen?_ She had to stop herself from actually listing all the possible ways this could backfire and decided just to go for it.

“Okay, so… bear with me a minute because some of this takes some backstory.” Logan’s eyes lit up and his hands tightened on her legs.

“I’m all ears.” The excitement was audible, and Veronica had to stifle a laugh at his enthusiasm.

_God, he is adorable._ “Okay, tiger. Here it is: I didn’t get attacked because of the case my dad had me working.” Logan’s already tight grip tightened further, and Veronica ran her hands up his arms, trying to sooth him. She’d known it would be uncomfortable for him to talk about this, but it was necessary for him to understand what she needed to do today. “I was working a side case… for Weevil.”

Logan seemed to be both relieved and upset at the same moment. _What about my working for Weevil would be relieving?_ She gave him a moment and didn’t continue until she felt his grip relax a touch.

“So today I need to go get some information from him and give him an update.”

“You’re working a case for him? A case where you already got hurt. And you’re still working it?” He moved away from her now, putting a couple feet of distance and tangible cold between them.

“I’m doing him a favor.” She crossed her arms, daring him to counter. “And I plan to see it through.”

“You’ve already gotten… fuck Veronica, have you looked in a fucking mirror lately? And you, your just… what the fuck?”

She let him get it out, the fear and frustration, because she knew it would eat him alive if he kept it in. While a part of her had expected this reaction, she was still disappointed. It was too much to hope that he would just be supportive. When Logan calmed down enough to look at her again, she tried to explain.

“Please, this is important to me.” She reached for him, trying to bridge the chasm between them. “And I’m not going to be stupid. I’m not doing anything by myself –”

“Would you have?” Logan cut her off, pulling back.

“What?”

“If I hadn’t asked to tag along today… would you have gone looking into what-the-fuck-ever you’re getting from Weevil by yourself?”

“I…” She hesitated, realizing he wasn’t wrong. She hadn’t planned to get into any compromising situations without back up again, but she always wasn’t planning to take anyone with her today.

“Fucking hell, I knew it.”

“It’s not… I mean –”

“Stop.” He shook his head, running his hands across his face. “Just fucking stop, Veronica. God.”

She slumped back in the seat, turning her legs so they were in the car rather than hanging out the open side door. _Why the fuck did I even try?_ She closed her eyes against the tears prickling and trying to fall. _This is why I keep stuff to myself. It’s not his fucking business what I do anyway. He can go to hell and take his stupid friendship… relationship… ugh, whatever! God, why can’t everyone just be like Wallace? I’m not a fucking porcelain doll. I’ll handle this by myself._

Veronica decided to leave Logan to brood on his own and go get done what she needed to. While she didn’t love the idea of going alone, it was better than sitting here getting judged by _Logan_ of all people. Fucking –

“I’m sorry, Veronica.”

Her eyes flew open and she turned to look at Logan. His eyes were down, and he had one hand on the back of his neck. She wished he would look up, so she could read his intent.

“What?”

He met her eyes, moving toward her tentatively. “I’m sorry. I… god I don’t know. I imagined you out there, doing the same thing with those same people… by yourself again. It makes me sick to think of you like that, vulnerable and alone. But, you… well you can take care of yourself. You did it, for a year you did this crazy impressive thing. And, as much as it fucking terrifies me… I trust you. And I’m sorry it took me a bit to remember how amazing you are.”

Veronica grabbed his arms and pulled him to her, leaning up to press her lips to his. She couldn’t honestly think of anything more perfect or incredibly hot that anyone had ever said to her. Kissing him was the best way she could think to convey how grateful she was. Logan responded enthusiastically, and Veronica quickly got lost in the feel of him. Heat coiled as they pressed closer to each other, Logan wrapping himself around her smaller frame. _God, I really could just get lost in him. Better cool it, Veronica. Maintain some sense of dignity._ Slowing the kisses and pulling back, Veronica gave a reluctant sigh.

“Thank you, Logan. You don’t know what that means to me.”

“Well,” he cleared his throat. “I may have some idea.”

Veronica chuckled and leaned her head on his chest, more content than she’d been in a long time. _Why can’t the world always be like this?_

“So,” Logan broke into her thoughts, “did you want to finish giving me that backstory?”

“Oh…”

“Promise I’ll keep my cool. Cross my heart.”

“Okay, well… where was I?”

“The case is for Weevil,” he offered.

“Ah, yeah. Okay, so that’s one thing I need to do today. I’ve got to go talk to him. And as much as I’m enjoying this,” she motioned between them for emphasis, “I don’t think I’m ready for anyone else to know just yet. I’d like to figure out what it is before we go spreading it around. Ya know?”

“Oh. Uh, yeah. Okay.”

“I just, with Duncan –”

“Of course, yeah.”

Veronica saw Logan close off and knew instantly where his head jumped to.

“Not because I’m still in love with him, you idiot.” He looked at her half surprised, half hopeful. She shook her head at his level of self-deprecation. “You really think I’d do anything with my ex’s _best friend_ if I still had feelings for said ex? Like, what? This is just some convenient time waster until Duncan realizes his mistake and comes back for me? You really think, after what he did to me, that I would want him back?”

“Well,” Logan leaned back in, timid, “I just, I remember how it was for you. I was there, you know? You guys were like, the perfect couple. You loved him so much, and… it’s just hard to imagine you wouldn’t want that back.”

“I did love him.” Veronica studied Logan’s face, trying desperately to read his mind so she would know best how to reassure him. “But… it was like he didn’t care about me at all, Logan.” She thought for a moment, taking care to express exactly how she felt. “With you, I mean it sucked what you did,” he flinched slightly, and Veronica gripped his arms, keeping him near her. “But at least you didn’t forget about me. I knew, if you didn’t care you would have done what he did and pretended I didn’t exist. Part of me… well I think I know you pretty well, and I knew a lot of that came out because of how much you cared.”

“I could apologize every day for the rest of my life and not make up for how I treated you.”

“This isn’t about you, Logan. Stop wallowing and try to actually understand what I’m saying. You being a psychotic jackass sucked, but it also reminded me of who I was and what that meant. It reminded me of Lilly, that I was important to her and that she was important to me. If you had just ignored me like Duncan did… well I think I would have completely lost myself. I wouldn’t have had anything grounding me.”

“So… being a jackass helped?”

Veronica punched him lightly, laughing. “Not as much as if you’d been, oh I don’t know, my friend. But, well it was better than Duncan. And my point is… after what he did to me I don’t think I could love him again. You may have turned on me, but he completely abandoned me. At least you didn’t leave me alone.”

“I don’t know that I could have if I had wanted to.”

“That’s either charming, or incredibly creepy.”

“Eh, take it as charming.”

Veronica smiled. She was happy in this moment, truly and completely, and she never wanted it to end.

“Not to ruin the mood or anything,” Logan brushed a hand through her hair, resting his hand on her shoulder, “but is that all you wanted to do today? Talk to Weevil and get a new camera?”

“Oh, yeah. Camera… I forgot about that. No, that will have to wait. I have a different, fairly huge favor I was hoping you’d help me with.”

“Name it.”

“I want you to help me find my mom.”  


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been far too long since I posted, but I hope it was worth the wait! :)

“No way I can convince you to not meet with Weevil?”

They’d taken Veronica’s car from the apartment, as Logan’s beast would be recognizable and memorable. Hers was non-descript and made more sense for this particular venture.

“Logan,” Veronica warned. “I’ve already lost a week of investigative time.” She spared a glance his direction, then returned her attention back to the road. “If I get the list from him today, I can spend some time tomorrow looking into the people on the list. And then I’ll have a head start for Monday.”

Logan drummed his fingertips on his knee, staring out the passenger window. Even keeping her focus on the road, anxiety rolling off him was tangible. She tried to keep her own mood in check, though his attitude towards her decision annoyed her. Talking with Weevil wasn’t dangerous, and Logan had no logical reason to be uncomfortable. Responding with her own frustration wouldn’t help the situation, though, so Veronica was trying to be patient. To be fair, he’d been more supportive than expected with her revelations. _He deserves the same from me_.

Veronica parked the car, turning her attention fully to Logan.

“So… I’ll be right back. Two minutes.”

He nodded curtly and turned his face away from her. She slid out of the car and walked the last block to the alley behind Weevil’s house. There wasn’t time to worry about his mood, so she focused on the task ahead. Sending Weevil a text to let him know she was out back, she leaned against the brick wall to wait. It took less than 10 seconds for Weevil to appear in the alley, hands stuffed into his pockets and head down. Veronica let him slide up next to her, remaining silent and waiting for him to give her the information she came for. He cleared his throat and kicked a foot back against the wall before finally breaking the silence.

“I ain’t comfortable with this, V. I don’t like not trusting my crew.”

Veronica rolled her eyes. It had been a long day, and she wasn’t in the mood to put up with Weevil’s particular brand of shit today.

“ _You_ brought me this, remember? You already don’t trust them, you just stopped at general suspicion. That isn’t good enough anymore. Give me the names.”bHe kept his head down, shuffling his feet but not offering anything more. “Weevil, seriously. We don’t have time for this. Did you forget what happened to me? Are you going to wait until someone gets killed? Give me the names. I know you’ve got someone on your mind.”

“Yeah, V, fine. When Chardo… left, a couple boys were talking about expanding business. I shut that shit down, getting into drugs means fighting with or working for the Fitzpatricks and that ain’t happening on my watch. I thought that was the end of it, but something just don’t feel right.”

“Who was talking about expanding?”

“A few of them, but mainly Hector and Thumper. They pushed it hardest.”

“I said everyone. It might be someone you wouldn’t expect.”

“That’s it, V. No one else has the balls to go against me or wouldn’t work with the Fitzpatricks even if I said.”

“Let me know if you think of anyone else and I’ll start working on Hector and Thumper.”

Veronica walked back to her car, not looking back at Weevil. _He needs to get his head sorted. I don’t have time for his indecision. Hopefully I’ll find something quick, that should set him straight._ She stepped into the car, casting a quick glance toward the still stone-faced Logan. She stifled a groan, frustrated nothing could ever be easy. _Support somewhere would be nice. My dad, Weevil, now Logan; someone on my side would be awesome._ She shook her head, starting the car.

“You don’t have to come with me still, if you don’t want to.”

Logan looked at her, face softening as he reached for her hand.

“Of course, I want to come still. Sorry, I’m here for whatever you need. Just tell me.”

A wide grin spread across Veronica’s face as she kept herself from throwing her arms around him. _How does he always know exactly what I need?_ Something about Logan just made her feel at ease, and she had yet to determine how she felt about her shift in attitude towards him. T _ime to dwell on that later, we’ve got to get moving if we are going to make it to Arizona and back by tonight._

“Whose car should we take, then?”

“I think mine might be better,” Logan offered.

“Better? Why?”

“More space, comfier seats, and it’s less likely to give up the ghost while we are driving.”

“Fine with me,” Veronica shrugged. “I didn’t want to have to drive anyway.” Logan quickly schooled his shock and smirked at her. “Don’t get any idea’s Logan, normally I’d demand to drive, just to prove I can. But with what’s happened, I… well I was putting this off because it wouldn’t be totally safe for me to drive that far yet, I think. But, since you so willingly offered… well, now I can do it.”

Logan didn’t offer any sarcastic commentary on her admission. The pulled back into the apartment complex and transferred over to Logan’s car. She’d explained it was a bit of a drive, they would probably not be back until late, and the whole experience might be a garbage pile. Veronica didn’t know what she’d find in Arizona, if her mom was even still there. But she knew she could handle the fallout better if she had someone to support her through. _Come on, aren’t you all honesty now Veronica? It wouldn’t help to have someone to support you. You want Logan. When did Logan become a support again? About the time I kissed him? That sounds about right._

“Hey,” Logan’s voice was soft, “you look a million miles away. You sure you’re up for this?”

They had settled in his car but hadn’t left the complex parking lot. Logan seemed to be waiting for her signal, and Veronica was too distracted to notice. She smiled, the gentleness in his voice quieting her racing mind.

“I am. I think I need to do this, you know? I guess I just feel like, maybe it could be nice to have my mom around.” _Maybe a girl needs her mother._

Logan nodded, needing no more encouragement, and got them on the road.

********

Logan didn’t try to break the silence which overtook the car; as much as Veronica needed time to think, he wanted some time to puzzle over all that happened. It had only been this morning he was afraid to call because he didn’t know if she’d want to see him, and now… _she kissed me. She kissed me._ He still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it, around how or why Veronica would want to kiss him. A _fter all I’ve done, how do I deserve this?_ Anxiety tickled at the back of his mind, reminding him he didn’t deserve it and he’d probably lose it. He’d do what he always did and blow everything up. He scrubbed his face with his free hand, trying to drive that thought entirely out of his head. It didn’t work. Scanning the road ahead, he looked for an easy access gas station. Maybe getting out of the car to stretch a bit would distract him.

“I was thinking of stopping to refuel, maybe grab some snacks. Do we have time for the delay?” He shot a glance at Veronica, noting the worry lines across her forehead. _God, I wish it were easier to talk to her, to get to know the reasons behind each line._ He shook his head, eyes back on the road. “Veronica?”

He could see her jump a little, turning toward him. “Yeah, sorry. What… you asked something?” Her voice was breathy and thin.

“You good if we make a pit stop?”

“Oh, yeah. Good idea.” She shifted in her seat, he could hear the squeak of the leather as she stretched out. “I could use a bathroom break and short walk.”

Logan couldn’t tell if she was humoring him. He figured if he were driving on his own, to do something so important, he wouldn’t time the time to make a stop. He’d bet Veronica wouldn’t either. But he needed a break and appreciated she didn’t fight him on it despite the reasons she would have to want to push on. _Valid reasons, though they may be._

Spotting a gas station right off the next exit, Logan merged over and got the car aligned with a pump close to the door of the gas station.

“If you want to head inside, use the restroom or something and pick out some snacks, I’ll handle this.”

“I don’t think so, Logan.” Veronica shook her head in protest. “You’re only driving out here because of me. I can’t let you use your money for this.”

He still wasn’t sure where their boundaries lay, whether Veronica would appreciate or feel offended by physical affection. He opted to reach over and take her hand.

“Let me do this for you, okay?” He flashed her his best smile, hoping that would help persuade her. “Besides, you’ve never liked the Xterra. Wouldn’t it offend your delicate sensibilities to spend any money on it?”

“Technically I would be sending money on gas, not your yellow monstrosity,” she fired back quickly, flexing her fingers in his hand but not breaking contact.

_She expected that argument_ , Logan observed. He took a moment, then made his final play: “It’s not even my money, Veronica. It’s dear ol’ dad’s. And we both know he’s not hurting for cash.” He waved the thought away, deeming it ridiculous. “If that’s not enough to convince you” he cut in before she could offer more in the way of protest, “we can call it the first of many ‘jackass installment’ payments. We both know you’ve had to shell out money on your car because of me.”

The last part was a whisper. An acknowledgment that his previous apology would never be enough to make up for all that happened. He heard her long-suffering sigh, keeping his eyes down to avoid the full force of her reaction. Veronica squeezed his hand and he risked a glance up. She flashed him a smile. It was small, but it calmed his anxious mind.

“Fine, Logan. Put a dent in your daddy’s bank account.”

She gave his hand another quick squeeze and he smiled in response. He started turning, moving to pull his hand away and get out of the truck when Veronica lurched towards him and planted a peck to his cheek. Before he could react, let alone respond, she darted from the car and into the gas station.

Touching a hand to his cheek, Logan cracked a grin. He took the kiss as permission to touch, and decided to go all in. He’d never known Veronica to be so open, not even when they were kids. She couldn’t hide all the scars of an alcoholic mother, but Veronica never complained. Thinking back, it seemed like Veronica let Lilly sweep her along to keep her distracted. But even attacked at the hip as they were, Logan had never seen nor heard of Veronica confiding in Lilly. _If she’s being this open with me, well that’s got to be a positive sign._ He decided he’d do what felt natural, and trust Veronica to tell him if he overstepped.

Logan leaned all the way back against the seat, grabbing the steering wheel with both hands and tensing all his muscles before forcing each one to relax again. And she let me pay. He’d hoped, but not expected, for her to allow him to pay. It would have made him sick if he ended up having to let her pay when he was fully aware of their financial differences.

Belatedly, he realized he still needed to put fuel in the car. He hopped out of the car and got the process going, leaning against the side of his Xterra while he waited. Once the tank was full, he headed into the gas station scanning the mid-afternoon crowd for Veronica. She spotted him first, waving to him from the end of the candy isle. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he moved towards her.

“You know there are more food groups than candy, right?”

“That’s all vegetable propaganda,” she smirked up at him before returning her eyes to the rows of sweets, “you should know better than to believe everything you read.”

Logan chuckled, eyeing the racks for a treat of his own. He settled on a Snickers; at least the peanuts could count towards protein intake. Veronica grabbed a couple of her favorites before heading towards the drinks section.

“You want anything else?” she called over her shoulder. “I figure I can get this stuff while you take your bathroom break.”

“That works. You can just borrow my card.”

Veronica stopped mid-pull on one of the fridge doors, turning to look at him. “I’m not going to use your card, Logan. I’ve got cash.”

“Oh,” Logan hadn’t considered her buying their road trip snacks and didn’t think it made much sense for her to waste her money on something that his dad wouldn’t even notice. “I mean, I think it just makes more sense for me to get them.” Veronica’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to fight about this Veronica –”

“Good. Then we’re agreed I’ll be buying the snacks.”

“Veronica –”

“Just stop, Logan.” She cut him off, dropping her eyes. “Don’t you understand how hard it is for me already? Letting you drive, pay for gas… can’t you just… just, I’ll get the snacks. Okay?”

She kept her head down and Logan realized the full impact of the day’s events. It hit him how much she was already giving him: she changed her plans, brought him along, shared with him the pain of looking for an absent mother. _I don’t deserve any of it._ He wanted to take that look from her face, wanted to make her smile again. He reached for her and ran his hand down her arm until their hands intertwined.

“You mean I get a sugar daddy this time? I’m intrigued.” Veronica let out a low chuckle but kept her eyes down, not yet giving in. “I’m going to have to go all out, I don’t think I’ve ever been treated before.”

The last part was said in jest but thinking about it Logan was pretty sure no one had ever treated him before. Not in the ‘let me do this because I want to make you happy’ kind of way, anyway. _Lilly definitely never treated me. Everyone else dated me for status, so no special treatment there…_

Veronica finally softened. She leaned into his side and flashed him her brightest smile. “Well my dear,” she drawled, “we can’t have that. Any man of mine deserves the red carpet. Let your inner child run wild.”

Logan’s mind stuck on ‘any man of mine’ and he did hear or process anything she said after. _She sees me as her man? Or is she joking? Who the fuck cares? She said it, and I’m not letting her back out now._ He saw the change in Veronica’s face as she noticed his grin, saw the wheels turn and the realization dawn on her. Unsurprisingly, she started backtracking as soon as she realized the implications of her words. Logan just laughed, pulling her close and placing a kiss to the top of her head.

“You said it, Mars.” He pulled her along, determined to pick out a couple more snacks. “You can’t take it back now. You’ve got to make sure your _man_ is treated right.”

She knocked her hip against his but wrapped her arm around his waist to keep them close. Laughter bubbled from her as they walked but neither said anything more until they made their way back to the snacks.

“Alright, dear. Better pick something good.”

Logan pretended to scan the shelves, but already knew he would be getting snacks more for Veronica than himself. He grabbed some jerky, a bag of chips, and a small bag of chocolates.

“Here ya go, hun.” He handed over the snacks and his bottle of water. “Make sure they put them in the special bags. You know, the ones only the wealthy have handled. I wouldn’t want to get poor on my snacks.”

“You really came to the wrong place for that,” Veronica laughed, taking the items from him. “Now go freshen up. We have an image to maintain.” She threw a wink back at him as she walked to the counter and Logan turned on his heel, heading for the bathroom.

*********

Veronica tried her best to enjoy the rest of the ride, honest to god she did. Logan helped. He provided a distraction when she hadn’t expected to have anything to occupy her mind but the repeating anxieties about finding her mom. On her own, she was sure she would have deteriorated into a tight ball of anxiety long before now. But the closer they got, the harder it was to stay distracted. She was moderately aware she’d been tapping her feet, hands balled up on her thighs, for the last 10 minutes. Logan, blessedly, made no comment. He allowed the conversation to lapse into silence.

They drove slowly down the street and Veronica scanned the houses looking for 304 when Veronica spotted her.

“Pull over,” the words fell from her mouth before she thought them. “Logan, pull over.”

Veronica had her belt off and was out the door before the car reached a complete stop and she ran up the road.

“Mom?”

The woman turned and it took all her strength to stay on her feet. It wasn’t her mother.

“Can I help you?”

Veronica barely heard the words over the blood pounding in her ears. She swallowed down the churning in her stomach.

“I’m looking for Lianne Mars,” she was able to force the words out her dry throat.

“Veronica?” The woman perked up, moving closer to Veronica. “I’m Adrianna.” She didn’t care to hear anymore; now that she knew her mom wasn’t here, she just wanted to escape. But the woman, _Adrianna_ , continued. “A college friend of your mother’s. I feel like I know you.” Veronica choked on the skepticism bubbling up. “Your mother talks about you all the time.”

“Where is she?” The desperate question was out of her mouth before she knew she wanted to ask it. Adrianna’s face fell.

“She left a couple weeks ago.”

“Did she say where she is going?”

“No.”

Veronica broke. Her mother wasn’t here. Her last lead was a dead end. _Why? Where is she?_ She couldn’t leave it here; she had nowhere else to look. “Don’t lie to me.” She could hear the distress in her voice and hated this woman, someone her mother chose to stay with rather than coming home, someone who acted like she knew her, someone who didn’t deserve to know what she did, she hated Adrianna for seeing her this weak. “I need to know. Where is she?”

“She thought your father might come looking for her.” _More empty excuses._ “And she knows I’m no good at keeping secrets.” _But she is so good at running away._

Veronica’s despair was turning to bitterness. “Doesn’t she care about me?”

“You’re all she cares about.”

“Mark me down as skeptical.”

Veronica took a step back and turned to leave, running right into Logan Echolls. _Fuck. I forgot he was here._ She moved to sidestep, wiping at her eyes, but Logan’s arm came up around her shoulders and she collapsed into his side. Fresh tears tracked their way down her cheeks and Veronica held her breath to stop her body from shaking. Logan led her back to his truck, lifting her gently into the seat. He set her in and turned away, closing the door. Veronica let herself go.

_Why did I even come? Why do I even care? She doesn’t care about me, she’s made that perfectly clear. If she wanted to find me, if she wanted to be a mother, she’d be here._ Each thought brought on a new wave of tears and Veronica leaned forward, resting her head on her knees as she cried. Her arms wrapped around her head, trying to block out the thoughts swirling and tormenting. _Why did she leave? Why wasn’t I enough to keep her here? Why is it never enough? Why does everyone I love leave me?_

Logan’s hand beginning soft circles on her back reminded her she wasn’t alone. _I didn’t even hear him get in the car._ She took a couple seconds to regain her composure, breathing deep and wiping at her face.

“Here,” Logan passed a towel to her.

A weak, choking laugh escaped her. “Really, Logan? No tissues? I thought teenage boys took tissues everywhere.”

“Who needs tissues when you’ve got an endless supply of beach towels?”

“Gross,” Veronica threw the towel at him. “I don’t want this anymore.”

Veronica finally lifted her head and noticed Adrianna was still outside. She felt heat pooling in her cheeks.

“Can we get out of here?”

“Yeah, of course. Back to your place?”

“I don’t care,” she sniffed. “I just want to get out of here.”

The sound of the blinker and the slowing motion of the car brought Veronica out of her dozing state. She lifted her head from the window and turned questioningly towards Logan. He winked at her, nodding his head to the right. A brightly illuminated Denny’s sign caught her eye.

“Breakfast twice?”

“It seemed like a bacon kind of day.”

Veronica smiled, leaning back into the seat. _It’s been an exhausting day. Who am I to say no to bacon?_


End file.
